


Ohana (Family)

by kuhekabir



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-05
Updated: 2011-02-05
Packaged: 2017-10-15 10:08:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 40,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/159748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuhekabir/pseuds/kuhekabir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing was every easy, especially when it came to Steve. Surviving getting kidnapped, shot and nearly drowned followed by getting booted off his island to New Jersey weren’t things he had ever thought about and seeing Danny in a new light wasn’t helping things either. Of course danger follows Steve around like a loyal lap dog, the only question that remains is: will Danny take Steve, craziness and all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ohana (Family)

"The future comes slowly, the present flies and the past stands still forever"

 

 

Rising from the ashes

 

1

Steve stared at the waves, marvelling at how easy they rolled over the sand, making their way and pushing anything that could be considered an obstacle out of the way.

He wasn't the type to be this pensive but sometimes, when the mood struck him, he could be seen for hours sitting still, staring at the ocean.

He had done this when he had been younger, pretending to be sunbathing or pretending to watch girls pass by in skimpy bikinis when actually all his thoughts had been turned inward.

The sun was glistering, high in the sky and his skin was pleasantly warm, a faint sheen of sweat giving away the fact that the heat to some might have been stifling. To him it simply meant that he was home.

Life was funny sometimes, he mused. He had been all around the world, not really avoiding coming home because Steve wouldn't do something like that, but still, the fact that he had been gone for so long couldn't be ignored.

He loved his father that had never really been in doubt but there had been times when he had wondered if he would ever be good enough to have his father's regard. Funny how those little things that one felt as teenager could be carried over into adulthood without even being noticed.

And wasn't it funny that now, only after his death, he was coming to see that in his own way, his father had been proud of him, he had been loved.

And now he had almost come full circle; he was living at home again, the house now his own and he was back in Hawaii and from the looks of it, he wasn't going to leave anytime soon. And strange, the urge to run wasn't even present even though of course he would've never described it as running because Steve McGarrett would never do something mundane as run.

If anything he would run towards danger, towards an adventure and not away from something.

Keeping that thought firmly in his mind he raised his almost empty beer bottle and took another sip.

Life was good out here even though sometimes it made no sense at all.

##

“I want you to stay away from my daughter?” Danny growled, his blue eyes glaring at Steve who for a moment simply blinked.

“I didn't lose her, “He defended himself, knowing that his defence was rather weak but it was still the truth.

It had been a show of trust that Danny had allowed Steve to take Grace to the mall because Grace had asked him to and Danny had a previous appointment that he hadn't been able to get out of.

 

And Steve had done his best; he had allowed Grace to drag him from one shop to the other, looking at toys and girly things and frankly, he deserved a medal for not running screaming for the hills. He adored Grace; she was a quirky young lady and despite Danny's best efforts she would grow up into a hellcat, he was sure of it. He could read the signs and no amount of Danny trying to protect her from the evils of surfing or the beach would change that.

Grace was Danny's daughter and considering that Danny was far from tame, the man should be proud and not this terrified.

He mentally shrugged; maybe this was something that only a parent could understand and he knew better than try to tell Danny that maybe he was being a bit too overprotective with his own daughter.

But he would be dammed if he let Danny blame him for Grace wandering off.

She had been right beside him when his phone had rang and then someone had bumped into him and for a second, a mere second, he had struggled to keep his phone and when he had looked up, Grace had been gone.

His heart had honestly skipped a beat before his training had kicked in and moments later he had started a search pattern which in the end had yielded the desired result: Grace had walked off to look at a fish tank and she hadn't gone far.

It had taken him all of ten minutes to locate her and he hadn't thought anything further of it.

He would never let anything happen to Danny's daughter; the man should know that!

“Oh you didn't lose her?” Danny shouted back, eyes narrowed and blond hair slightly and manically waving in the soft breeze.

They were currently standing outside the mall where Danny had told them to meet him. In the spirit of sharing everything Steve had told him about Grace walking off because even though nothing had happened, he didn't think that keeping things from his partner was a good idea.

And besides, if Grace developed a habit to simple stroll off whenever she liked, she could one day end up in serious trouble and it needed to be addressed. He had of course had a quick talk with her, explained the situation to her and the little girl had nodded her head eagerly, seemingly able to understand that what she had done hadn't been cool but Steve couldn't be sure that Grace's promise to never do it again could be believed.

She hadn't lied, he was sure of that but how reliable could such a promise be from a little girl? He didn't remember much from when he was her age but he remembered vividly that unless someone constantly reminded him of things, he would always live from one moment to the next.

So of course it was important that her father be made aware of that tendency of hers and took measures to prevent it from getting out of hand.

Children had no concept of danger and while scaring Grace needlessly wasn't right, she did need to be more aware that the world wasn't safe and that not everyone she met would have her best interests at heart.

That wasn't mean on his part, it was a survival skill that needed to be learned and since his methods would probably be a little bit too drastic, Danny was the right choice for it.

Of course, knowing that Danny was a hot head with a temper that rivalled the Hawaiian sun, he had expected him to blow up. His daughter had after all wandered off while Steve had been looking after her but frankly what he hadn't expected was the sting that Danny's word left in his heart.

“She was gone!” Danny's voice continued to rise, “Anything could've happened to her while you were too busy to watch her! Was it too much to ask not to lose my daughter?”

Steve watched as Grace tugged on her father's trousers, wanting to get his attention but knowing that when Danny really got going nothing else seemed to register, the man ignored his daughter, his eyes solely focused on Steve.

“I trusted you with her, “he said with emotion, “All you had to do was keep her safe.”

“Danny...”Steve tried to inject because this was getting blown way out of proportion and yes, he was sorry and yes, he had made a mistake but he didn't think that taking his eyes of Grace for a second while she decided to wander off made him a horrible person. He hadn't abandoned her, he hadn't ignored her, his phone had rung and then, for a split second, he had been distracted and that was all it had been!

It could've ended much worse; he knew the statistics about children getting abducted, he was aware that this whole situation shouldn't be ignored but frankly it hurt him that Danny thought he had been careless with his only child.

If anything he had given it his best because she was his daughter!

“Oh no, don't Danny me, “the man hissed, his voice dropping and that was never a good sign. As long as Danny was shouting all was fine with the world because that was normal, when his voice got quiet that meant that the shit was really about to hit the fan.

“I trusted you, Steve, “Danny said, his eyes holding Steve's own, “And apparently that was too much to ask.”

Danny straightened up and with a little wide eye looked, Steve simply watched, unsure how it had come to this. Surely Danny hadn't meant what he had just said.

“You can trust me, “he said quietly, “I trust you with my life.”

Danny simply glared at him; “Well apparently I can't trust you with the one thing that matters to me.”

“Fine, “Steve bit out, there was no reasoning with Danny when he was in one of his moods and if he stayed a moment longer he would say something that both of them would regret the next day. Contrary to popular belief he did lose his cool occasionally and Danny was the only one in recent history who managed to come close to pushing all of his buttons.

And not always in a good way!

Without any further comment, Steve turned around, heading towards his own car.

“Hey!” Danny shouted after him, “I'm not done talking to you!”

But they were done talking, at least for today.

Steve ignored him, got into his car, started the ignition, and drove off while Danny shouted after him.

##

The tugging on his trousers got more intense and after watching Steve's car exit the parking lot, Danny finally had the presence of mind to acknowledge his daughter.

Her wide eyes told him that he must have scared her, or at least alarmed her a little bit and his heart skipped a beat because the last thing he wanted was for his daughter to be wary around him.

“Yes, monkey?” He said, kneeling down so that he was at her level, ignoring how his own knee protested the move. Some things were more important than his discomfort.

“Uncle Steve didn't do anything wrong, “his brave daughter said. Despite her wide eyes and twitching lips she held his gaze and he recognized himself in that simple gesture. She wasn't necessarily afraid, she was unsettled but apart from that she wasn't going to back down.

He sighed, rubbing his chin. He loved his daughter very much but lately there were more days than not when he wished that she would take after Rachel. She might be a bitch but at least the woman didn't have his stubborn streak that over the years had always managed to land him in danger. And from the looks of it, Grace had inherited more from him than he would've liked.

“Gracie, “Danny started, wanting to explain that it had been Steve's responsibility to watch her and considering that the guy was a SEAL and expertly trained, loosing sight of his little girl wasn't something that he had found very impressive.

“No, Daddy, “she said stubbornly, voice only slightly wavering but getting stronger the more she said, “I ran away, “she sniffed, blinking rapidly, “The fish were so cute and Steve said that it wasn't right to keep them as prisoners. He didn't want to take me there but I wanted to see them!” She stomped her little foot, clearly channelling her frustration from memory.

She liked getting her way, much like any child did but Danny was well aware that usually she always found a way to wrap people around her little finger. One of the reasons why Danny had trusted Steve with her was that despite Steve's alarming tendency to throw himself into harms way, he would never let anything happen to his little girl.

Oh she had him wrapped around her little finger too, Steve wasn't immune to Grace's charms but he was also stubborn enough to stand his ground.

Danny shifted, feeling suddenly uneasy which what he had thrown at his friend's face. He had been right to be angry, he clung to that. After all, Steve had lost of Grace and no parent could deal with that calmly.

On the other hand, now that he was slowly calming down, no longer running through nightmare scenarios in his head, he had to admit that there had been times when Grace had managed to get away from him too.

And from Rachel; it was the nature of children that sometimes, regardless of how carefully you watched them; they still got away from you.

Even the best parent couldn't watch their child for every second and maybe he had let his own fear get the best of him.

Steve had deserved to be shouted at but he hadn't done anything on purpose and he had found his girl rather quickly. His military training had been good for something and despite all he had said; he would still trust Steve with his own life and with his daughter's.

“Daddy?” Grace's voice broke through his thoughts and he was catapulted back to reality. He smiled at his little girl; his heart skipped a beat because every time he laid eyes on her he marvelled at the fact that he had such a sweet, gorgeous child.

She was his world; his reason for being here and even though he would probably never like this pineapple infested hell hole that people mistook for paradise, he would never regret moving here.

Children grew up way too quickly and even though he couldn't spend as much time with her as he would've liked, at least he would be able to see her grow up. If he had stayed home in New Jersey, he would've missed his chance and regardless of how much he disliked the heat and the palm trees and people insisting that fruit belonged on a pizza, he couldn't really regret having followed her across the country.

“Uncle Steve didn't mean to upset you. Please don't be mad at him. He promised to take me swimming this Saturday and I really want to go!”

She stomped her little foot at that and Danny sighed, ruffling her hair with affection. “It's alright, monkey, “He said slowly, “All's fine.”

She sent him a wide smile and almost immediately started telling him as if there was no tomorrow what they had done today followed by a quick run down on how her week had been and by the time Danny had to drive her home, he felt as if he was still a big part of his little girl's life.

He might not see her everyday but he mattered. He mattered to her and she knew that he loved her.

Now he just had to find Steve and apologize to him because while losing sight of his daughter hadn't been cool, it also hadn't totally been Steve's fault. And he most certainly owed the tall and dark ex SEAL an apology for insinuating that he didn't trust him because nothing could be further from the truth.

As a matter of fact, Steve was the only one he trusted, with his own life and with his daughter's.

2

He spent the rest of the day cleaning up the house because apparently that was something that he liked doing and even though some might say that the house was already spotless, he still begged to disagree.

By the time evening rolled around, Steve felt the need for some beer and to his dismay; he had run out of it. He sighed; rubbing his face, torn between simply heading out for a good swim while the sun was setting or getting beer beforehand.

He enjoyed sitting outside on the porch after a good swim, relaxing with a beer in his hand and with a groan he grabbed his car keys, deciding to head out now.

It wasn't far to the next shop and he had just left his house behind when he noticed a car trailing after him.

Someone with less training might have been unable to spot that he had picked up a tail but Steve was nothing if not trained and he noticed it almost immediately. He decided to verify it though before doing something about it so he changed his route, keeping an eye out to see if the car would follow him or veer off.

There weren't many times when he was wrong about these things but if working with Danny had taught him anything then it was that it was always better to make doubly sure before running off to do something crazy.

Of course he never considered anything he did as crazy, inventive maybe but surely not crazy. It wasn't his problem that Danny sometimes lacked imagination but if recent events were anything to go on, especially the one rather memorable occasion where Danny had a dealer tied to the hood of a car, then his partner was learning and there were times when he felt inordinately proud of that fact.

They made a good team; he had known this almost from the start when Danny had pointed a gun at him and had refused to back down. That took guts and tenacity and that was something that Danny had in spades.

So what if he liked to shout and despite his claims, Danny was the more emotional of the two of them but that was what made their partnership work.

They balanced each other out even when sometimes Danny didn't seem to see that.

And that was why Danny telling him that he couldn't be trusted had stung so much. Not that Steve would ever say something out loud because that could almost be considered to admitting to a flaw, that he maybe cared a little bit too much about a certain loud mouthed detective and Steve was nothing if not proud of being self resilient and always able to do things on his own.

Teamwork was something that he had learned in the military and for a good commander it was important to not only be able to be part of a team but to also lead it but there was a difference between expecting someone to obey you without questions asked and to have your back because duty required it and to have a friend who constantly challenged you, who was always in your face and still, despite all of that, was someone he could count on.

So yes, despite his lack of reaction when Danny had flung those words at him, claimed that he couldn't be trusted to look after Danny and what his partner cared most about in his life, he had reacted.

Years of control and not just since becoming a SEAL, it had started years earlier than that, had taught him to keep people at arms length.

He knew how to get people to respect him. He had the cool and detached demeanour down to an art form and despite being crazy at times, according to other people and not according to himself; he also knew how to play nice with the important people.

But despite a certain lack of social skills or as Danny had called it, lack of mammal-to-mammal skills, that didn't mean that he didn't care. He might be awkward about showing it, but he did care.

He sighed, his blue eyes focusing on the road while keeping an eye on the rear view mirror.

Yes, the car was still there and despite what the guy behind the wheel thought, he was more than just unskilled in tailing him. He was downright sloppy and for a moment there, Steve actually felt insulted that someone this stupid was following him.

He was coming close to another crossing and he was just about to turn right when a car literally came out of nowhere, speeding up instead of slowing down.

The world seemed to come to a halt. Sounds sharpened and everything seemed clearer, moving at a slower pace to allow Steve to see everything that happened but despite the world having slowed down, it seemed that he was still unable to move quick enough to avoid the incoming disaster.

His body was frozen, at least that was what it felt like while he was still moving, turning the wheel, hitting the brakes and using everything he had learned to get out of the way of the speeding bullet.

His brain registered that this wasn't an accident. If this were an accident then the oncoming car would be slowing down, the man or woman driving would be hitting the brakes, there would be some sign that someone apart from him was trying to avoid a collision but apparently he was the only one trying to get out of harm’s way.

The truck that was heading his way was big enough that the driver would probably get away with only a few scratches if any injuries at all while the car Steve was in would probably get totalled.

Wasn't it strange how it was still possible for him to register minute details while the world around him slowly descended into chaos?

He didn't know if that was a skill that only he possessed or if it was a common trait among soldiers because this wasn't the first time he had experienced this kind of clarity. Any time he had been in battle or when his life had been in danger, the world had seemed to fall away, leaving this clear vision behind that registered everything even though right now he couldn't consciously process it.

But later on, while writing his mission reports, everything would come back to him and sometimes, in the privacy of his bed, it would all come back to him and it would haunt his dreams.

Others said that he was good in a crisis, that he kept a cool head and that he hardly lost any men or women under his command because he was cold as ice when the need called for it. He had no name for it; it was who he was and he simply rolled with it.

The impact, despite having seen it coming, was still jarring and he was already fumbling for the seatbelt, trying to get out when the car tilted sideways. The world, and this time literally, got turned upside down before righting itself again and the light was slowly dimming.

He tries to get the buckle free, pushing and pulling at the air bag that had deployed when a sharp pain in his head had him gasping out loud, seeing stars that hadn't been there before.

He raised his hand without noticing it and it came away sticky. He squinted his clear blue eyes, trying to make out his fingers that were stained red but all the colour seemed to have bled out of the world because apart from feeling something on the tip of his fingers, he couldn't make out any colours at all.

Huh, he thought, his hand falling away as his body suddenly went heavy and numb.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to do so but somehow gravity seemed to have gotten the better of him and regardless of how much his mind was screaming he simply couldn't find the will or the strength to keep them open.

“Is he dead?” a male voice nearby had him stilling even though he probably would've been unable to move any way. He loathed playing dead because he prided himself on always being able to attack and on never being the victim but he was smart enough to realize that right now he was in no shape to attack anything.

“I don't know, “a second man said in a nasal tone of voice and Steve almost had to roll his eyes because really, as far as assassins went those two were just incompetent.

And maybe he should stop complaining about it and be glad for it because if it had been him out to kill someone then he wouldn't be standing there talking about it. He would have his gun out and dead or not dead, he would empty a clip into the target just to be sure.

And because everyone enjoyed a good fire, he would then proceed to the set the car on fire to make sure that any possible traces would be destroyed.

But clearly those two guys weren't him and despite feeling offended that someone this incompetent had tried to kill him he was also glad for it.

He kept his eyes closed and it wasn't as if that was a huge feat because honestly he wasn't so sure that he would've actually been able to open them if he had tried.

“He looks dead to me...”the other guy said.

“Should we go down and check?”

“Let's poke him.”

Steve steeled himself and when a hesitant finger poked him in the side he had to bite his own tongue to stop himself from groaning out loud. He kept still, rolling with the force of the finger, trying this best to keep his body as lifeless as possible.

“I think he's dead, “the other guy said again and Steve was glad when the poking stopped. His fingers twitched with the need to break the guy's hand but he had the strength to keep his anger at bay.

There would be a time to teach those idiots not to mess with Steve McGarrett or if they did, then to at least do it right!

Having someone this incompetent trying to do him in was an insult and he had to fight the urge to snort because seriously, was he that conceited?

Instead of being offended that two buffoons had tried to kill him he should be thanking anyone that was listening on his hands and knees and he was just about to do that, at least mentally, when he heard one of the retreating guys say, “So do you have his partner's address?”

“Sure, “was the reply, “I think it's in the glove compartment.”

“Let's get that over with then.”

Steve felt ice cold. Danny. They were after Danny.

He waited to hear the car pull away and after what seemed like an eternity he deemed it to be safe to try to open his eyes. It took him a few seconds until his eyelids cooperated and then, even the fading sunlight was almost too much to bear.

This time though the colour seemed to have bled right back into the world because when he looked at his hand, he noticed that it was coated in blood.

He fumbled with the seatbelt again and after countless tries, he felt the buckle come free. The air bag was a hindrance, even though it had saved his life, so it took him a few more minutes until he had managed to find a way to roll or fall out of the car.

That the door had been stuck hadn't helped matters much but eventually he had succeeded. Steve was many things and knowing when to give up wasn't something that was in his vocabulary.

He fell to the ground; breathing rapidly while the world once more was trying to fall away. He wouldn't let it though because he had to warn Danny that two idiots were after him!

Even an idiot was bound to get lucky some time and if they tried to shoot his partner, those two would surely managed to succeed because Danny would be hard pressed to survive being riddled with bullets.

In a way he had to be glad that they had decided to run him off the road even though for an assassination attempt it was a stupid idea.

But hey, he was alive so he shouldn't be too harsh with them!

He fumbled with his pockets, trying to retrieve his phone but when after a quick patting down, nothing was found, Steve nearly fell forward with exhaustion. His phone was gone. It probably hadn't gone far but he wasn't able to see all that clearly and he couldn't afford to waste his time looking for something that he mightn't find on time.

Danny.

He needed to get to Danny.

That was the only thing on his mind so when he stumbled his way onto the road he was almost run over by a passing car.

Steve blinked, mouth slightly open, wondering how that could've happened.

Hadn't he just been on the other side of the road?

How had he gotten this far?

“Are you alright man?” a young man asked him and Steve blinked, thinking, duh, can't you see that I am so far from alright that I could already be on the moon?

 

Instead, since words seemed to be currently beyond him, he grabbed the guy’s hand, shoving him sideways.

“Call HPD, “he managed to get out, “Officer down, need your car.”

He then somehow managed to fall into the driver seat and close the door behind him before the young man could react.

Driving in his condition with probably a concussion form hell wasn't his smartest idea yet but frankly he wasn't thinking all that clearly.

As a matter of fact his vision seemed to be greying out all the time which made deciphering if a traffic light was red or green rather interesting.

But Steve had never been all that bothered with if he lived or died so he didn't care that he ran a few lights on his way to Danny's home and he didn't care that he left many people behind screaming obscenities his way.

He had a single focus and that was to get to Danny before the two men did. Anything else could wait. Including getting to a hospital to get himself checked out.

He left no man behind and Danny could trust him to always have his back.

For some reason it mattered a lot that Danny trusted him even though the why was a little hazy right about now.

Frankly lots of things were starting to get a little bit hazy including: should he drive on the right or on the left side of the road?

Steve couldn't remember. He had been to so many countries around the world, he had driven in so many places that if someone right now were to ask him where he was, he wasn't so sure that he would know the answer to that.

Danny.

He needed to get to Danny.

Nothing else was on his mind.

People had often accused him of being single minded and right now that was most certainly true.

He had one thought on his mind and one thought alone: Danny.

And what did it matter that when he tried to picture his partner, he actually failed to recall what Danny looked like.

His mind was hazy, his head was in pain and there was constantly something trickling down his face that was downright annoying and if he moved too much, his right side stung as if someone was trying to poke him with a hot iron, but hey! None of that mattered because he knew what he had to do!

Get to Danny!

Danny!

##

He didn't so much park the car as ram a trash bin and then somehow found a way to stop. He blinked, blue eyes glazing over before he sort of fell sideways and tumbled out of the car.

Huh? How had that happened?

His mind was frayed, his heart was beating too fast and his palms were clammy. There was a sheen line of sweat on his forehead and he was alternating between shivering and feeling hot.

Was he getting a cold?

He shook his head and for a moment the world fell back into the place.

No, he wasn't getting a cold. He had been in a car accident and he had hit his head so this was a concussion and the pain in his side was from bruises.

Nothing was broken, he was fairly sure on that front. He would recognize broken bones because he had them before. Several times as a matter of fact.

His head might not be screwed on right at the moment but his training had still kicked in and even though he couldn't quite recall doing an assessment of his injuries, he was sure that he had done it...at some point, because well, he was trained to do that, right?

He frowned, stumbling on the steps towards Danny's dingy apartment.

The door was closed and everything seemed all right so maybe he was on time. Maybe the dumb wanna be assassins had gotten lost and this had given him enough time to get to his partner first.

Or maybe Danny was already dead his cold, lifeless body lying on the other side of the door.

And it was that thought that had him pounding on the front door, more like attempting to knock it down than knocking.

“What?” Danny's flushed face greeted him when he yanked the door open and for a moment the two men stared at each other, blue eyes meeting blue.

“You're in….”danger, Steve wanted to say but instead of managing to utter the last word, the world tilted sideways and he fell forward.

He was already envisioning hitting the floor face forward and wouldn't that be embarrassing when suddenly strong arms encircled his body and he was slowly steadied and then helped towards the sofa.

“Jesus, Steve, “Danny mumbled, at least Steve thought so because he couldn't be sure, the sounds seemed to be muffled once more so for all he knew Danny could be shouting at him right now he wouldn't know it.

 

He narrowed his blue eyes, peeking up at the man now standing tall over him, wondering when Danny had grown taller than he was before he realized that he was more or less sitting on the couch.

Oh.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Danny continued, while slowly tilting Steve’s head upwards, forcing him to look at his partner.

“Can't I trust you to keep your sorry ass out of trouble for one night?”

Steve flinched because there was that word again: trust.

Danny didn't trust him; he still didn't trust him and even though the memory was hazy and it hurt his head to think about it, he didn't like that one bit. It made his chest constrict, it made his heart hurt and those weren't things that he was particularly fond of.

He didn't have many friends. Even when he had been a teenager this hadn't been different.

Oh he had enjoyed being a quarterback. He had enjoyed the popularity and the girls who had fawned over him because what kind of red-blooded male wouldn't have enjoyed the attention and who wouldn't have used it to get his way?

But being popular and well liked was a different pair of shoes to being friends with someone and when it came down to it, Steve had always had many acquaintances but since he had always been slow to trust anyone, wary to let anyone in, he had never really had all that many friends.

Danny though had managed to worm his way into his heart and yes, that sounded corny and all kinds of weird but it was still true. He not only trusted Danny, he liked having him around and it was all kinds of messed up that the feeling didn't seem to be mutual.

He pouted; he wasn't aware of it but right now there were many things he wasn't aware of and that included the worried look on his partner's face.

“I'm sorry, “Danny mumbled, trying to get Steve's attention by grabbing his shoulders and for a moment it worked.

Steve recalled the accident, the two guys trying to kill him and their conversation and he tried once more to let Danny know that they needed to get out of here. Danny was in danger and he needed to get his gun, now.

“Accident...”Steve managed to say, his forehead creased because no, it hadn't been an accident.

“And you've come here?” Danny's breath hitched and his voice was getting louder again. “Are you too stupid to drag your sorry ass to a hospital...or wait!” he shouted, “How about dialling 911 and getting an ambulance instead of...” Danny's voice trailed off and he looked thoughtful for a moment.

“How did you get here?”

When Steve didn't answer, Danny shifted his feet, twitching and then throwing his arms up in the air, “You didn't drive, did you?”

“What did you do?” Danny was screaming again and strangely Steve liked it.

As long as Danny was screaming it meant that the man cared, so it was alright.

“They're coming after you next.” he managed to say between clenched teeth, feeling strangely light-headed all of a sudden.

“What?” Danny took a moment to decipher what Steve had just said and then the man was crouching down, his hands on Steve's thighs, once again intruding on Steve's space and Steve, well, Steve let him.

“It wasn't an accident, “Danny's voice was back to being all calm and rational, “You were run off the road and left for dead. And then you must've overheard them coming after me so instead of taking care of yourself for once you got yourself a car and you drove, you drove all the way here!”

Danny was getting agitated all over again and Steve squinted because yes, now that Danny had figured it all out, shouldn't they get going?

“Are you nuts?” Danny was shouting now again, his voice rising to almost painful levels and when the earth shook, it took Steve a few seconds to figure out that the strong grip on his shoulders was Danny shaking him like a leaf.

So no, the earth wasn't shaking Danny was shaking him!

He groaned even though he wanted to growl and then there was a painful grunt followed by Danny suddenly dropping his shoulders as if he was poisonous. Seconds later a litany of I’m sorry followed and frankly Steve was slowly deciding that he had had enough.

“Shouldn't he be dead?” a familiar voice said to the right followed by, “He does look ready to drop though. Maybe this is a delayed reaction?”

The almost amused chuckle that left Steve's mouth had Danny glaring at him, asking him without so many words what could possibly be funny about having two large goons pointing guns at both of them.

Steve blinked, his blue eyes sharpening for a moment, assessing the situation and yes, if he were fully fit, he could've taken them. Especially with Danny. A distraction, maybe a stumble and he would be able to reach for one gun arm, disabling it and then subduing the guy even though he was almost twice as large as he was.

The second man would follow shortly, either felled by Steve or tackled by Danny so yes; normally this situation wouldn't be anything to worry about.

But unfortunately this wasn't a normal situation because it cost him all of his strength to sit upright and even then he had to check for a moment to make sure that this was indeed true.

Danny was raising his arms, his body was tense and his eyes alert and when Steve found himself sliding sideways he barely heard the command that followed, “Take them both. Let the boss decide what to do with them.”

 

3

He was walking.

Or maybe he was gliding?

Or getting dragged?

He wasn't so sure; the only thing he was certain off was that he was moving and he wasn't doing it on his own. Not like he should.

He frowned; he was old enough to walk on his own.

He didn't need help to put one foot after the other but apparently the situation had changed because if Danny wouldn't be holding him up right, mumbling something into his ear then he would quite certainly be face down in the grass.

How had they gotten to this point?

Oh yes, the terribly skilled assassins, he thought with a mocking tone but when he stumbled again, no laughter escaped him.

“Get into the back, “the voice carried many unspoken threats and Steve swallowed hard, accepting the fact that even someone as unskilled as those two would surely manage to put a bullet in his brain if he didn't do as he was told.

And that irked him to no end because no one, no one told him what to do!

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back, blinking up at the roof of a nondescript car and he wondered when the two thugs had gone and changed their car.

Maybe they weren't that stupid after all.

“Come on, Steve, “Danny was nearby and he felt himself being lifted until his head landed on something semi soft.

He blinked, slowly opening his eyes, unsure when he had closed them, only to find Danny looking down at him.

He was in his partner's lap and that was all sorts of wrong and discomforting but he didn't care because it also felt all kinds of right.

“I need to know how injured you are, so focus for a second here, alright?” Danny's voice trailed off and then hands were patting down his body, squeezing and pushing and the only time he grunted was when his friend pressed onto his side, making him hiss in pain.

His shirt was being lifted and then the hands were back, poking and prodding and Steve twisted, shifted, trying to get away from them.

“Does that hurt?”

 

A biting comment was on the tip of his tongue but no words actually came over his lips. He blinked, wondering if he had somehow lost the ability to speak but then everything went hazy again and no amount of Danny cursing or asking him to stay awake changed any of that.

##

At first Steve thought it was sunlight blinding him but when he forced his eyes open, he had to reassess that thought. Night had finally fallen and with an almost detached feeling he remembered that he had set out from his home with the sinking sun to get some beer.

It was only more than logical that what could be hours later, the sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon.

He squinted, his eyes slightly watered and it took him a little bit to focus. He was being dragged along a dingy hallway; critters were crawling across the floor while trash and debris made his shoes crunch.

An abandoned warehouse of sorts and it had probably stood empty for quite a while.

He stumbled, unable to catch himself and it was only when the ground started coming towards him with an alarming pace that he understood that he had actually been shoved into a room.

Body memory was a good thing because while his conscious mind was sort of fuzzy at the moment, his body still remembered how to roll and how not to land face first in the dirt so he expertly came to land on his feet after a swift roll.

It left him nauseated of course, seeing stars but for a moment there, he stood firmly on his own two legs before he was once again grabbed, arms roughly pushed behind his back and kept in a strong lock.

He didn't dare to move because he needed to assess the situation first. He needed to understand how much he could do with his injuries before springing into action but there was no doubt in his confused mind that at some point, he would spring into action.

His assessment though was cut short by a flare of pain in his right side and he scrunched up his nose in a valiant effort to keep himself from making any kind of noise.

He caught a knowing look from Danny though and he couldn’t help but wonder when his partner had learned to read him so well.

Should that worry him?

“I thought I said I wanted him dead?” a familiar voice from the grave had Steve twitching involuntarily and when he raised his eyes, his blue eyes settled on the supposedly dead figure of one Victor Hesse, he let out a growl that could have, under different circumstances, been intimidating.

Seeing his father’s murderer this close gave him a boost and he strained against the hands holding him, ignoring further flares of pain. He needed to get to Hesse and make sure that this time he stayed dead and his helpful mind provided him with all kinds of scenarios on how to achieve just that.

 

Unfortunately though, or fortunately for Hesse, he was injured, despite what he would like to believe and the grip on his arms held him firmly in place.

He let himself go slack; pretending that all fight had gone out of him, sending a vicious glare towards the man which had him chuckling as if Steve was something amusing to watch.

Pretending to have given up was part pretence of course but another part of him had known that sometimes it was easier to catch a bee with honey than with brute force.

And regardless of how much it annoyed him, he wasn’t in top form at the moment and he needed to accept that and work with his injuries rather than straining against them.

“Well, boss,” the nasal voice was coming from behind him and Steve finally knew who was holding him in place. “He was dead.”

Hesse raised an eyebrow, “So he got resurrected?” he asked, voice holding a tone that sounded just as incredulous as Steve felt. He had known that the guys sent to kill him were morons but this clearly took the cake.

Hesse came closer, grabbing Steve by the head like some wayward kitten and then he looked him into his eyes.

Danny was making some sort of protesting noises that Steve found both insulting and heartwarming at the same time because it galled his pride that he needed someone to protest his treatment on his behalf.

He knew how to take care of himself; he didn’t need anyone else doing it for him because he had done it for such a long time that he probably wouldn’t even know how to stop if someone asked him to.

He wasn’t an island; he knew that everyone needed people in their life but he also believed that when it came down to it, when push came to shove, there was rarely anyone to be counted on and believing otherwise would only set him up for trouble.

“Well, since he’s alive now, contrary to my orders, I might just as well make use of him.” Hesse eyed him as if he were a particularly annoying specimen that he wanted to crush like a bug but that maybe would turn out to be useful in the end.

Steve wasn’t so sure if that was a good thing or not but in the end he decided that it was probably mostly good because as long as he was alive, he would still get his chance to kill Hesse for good.

Dead he would be of no use to anyone.

“Lock the other one up.” Hesse ordered and Danny started cursing and yelling again in such colourful words that Steve felt a flicker of pride at calling the man his partner.

When Danny was out of his sight, he took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself, looking for that clarity that he had come to associate with dangerous situations. It had helped him in the past to see things clearly; to react without having to think things through and so far, this ability of his hadn’t let him down yet.

He was compromised though; there was no doubt about it.

If he had thought that the headache had been bad before then the sledgehammer currently working on his skull must have asked for help because his head felt as if it was about to explode. If there had been a mirror, he would have looked to see if his head had changed colour to red, indicating that an explosion was imminent.

He was watching the scenery around him through his lower lashes, keeping his head low to pretend as if he was too exhausted or too hurt to do anything else and for once he was glad that the side of his face was smeared with blood and that apparently his side was soaked through as well.

Since his shirt was black it wasn’t all that visible but he had faith that someone as skilled as Hesse would’ve noticed his injuries.

He hated the man; he had chased him around the globe for years and if that hadn’t been bad enough he had killed his father point blank and the fury that coursed through his veins at that thought had Steve’s vision momentarily changing to red.

A sharp intake of breath later he had himself somewhat under control and when the guy behind him shifted, momentarily loosening the grip on his upper arms, Steve reacted on instinct.

He kicked back, the back of his skull connecting with the man’s face and since he already had a headache from hell he didn’t even flinch when yet another spike of pain shot through him.

Uh, he thought, who would’ve known that bashing his head in an accident could actually come in handy!

His movements were fluid and when he put all his weight onto his right foot, stepping onto the boot of the man still trying to hold him, the man finally yelped in pain because apparently Steve still knew how to kick.

Seconds later, because that was all the time it took, Steve had an arm free and he shifted sideways, pulling himself out the man’s grasps while retrieving the gun secured in the man’s trousers.

His nimble fingers unlocked the safety while at the same time with a swift kick; he kicked the man’s legs out from underneath him.

He had now almost turned around fully, balancing his movements carefully and his clear vision once again kicked in.

He more heard than saw someone approaching from the door and his gun was already raised before the other man could do more than set one foot inside the room.

The shot rang out loud and Steve’s aim had been true for the man crumbled to the ground without any further twitching.

The man with the nasal voice whom Steve had just managed to extract himself from had finally found his balance again and when he started to howl like some sort of injured beast, Steve re-aimed the gun and shot him firmly in the head.

Without any further sound the mountain of a man fell to the ground and since the room was still far from secured, Steve adjusted his stance, about to turn when someone barrelled into him, sending him sprawling.

Normally he would’ve been able to roll with the punch, ignoring the pain but since the impact had him falling sideways on his right side, he couldn’t help himself, he screamed, blacking out for mere seconds.

The grip on the gun lessened and it was pried out of his fingers while at the same time he found himself flung around until his face was pressed into the dirt, arms once again secured behind his back while another man was firmly sitting on his legs.

He tested the grip but unfortunately he couldn’t get free.

“Well, well, “Hesse drew out the word and Steve raised his head as far as his neck would allow to catch a glimpse of the terrorist but all he managed to see was the man’s boots and legs.

Suddenly his head was roughly yanked upwards, his back strained and he grunted in pain at being hauled up in such an unnatural angle.

“You are feisty, I’ll give you that.”

Steve scoffed at being called feisty because well, because that wasn’t a word anyone should associate with a SEAL. It maybe belonged to a spirited red head with long legs and fiery eyes or maybe to a particularly adventurous dog but it clearly didn’t apply to him.

“I can’t have you walking around killing my men, “Hesse continued in a conversational tone, “and since I’ve decided that for the time being you might actually be more useful to me alive, I have to find another way to restrain you.”

Steve didn’t like the way that sounded so he doubled his efforts to get free even though he knew very well that for the time being he was truly caught.

“Bring me my bag, “Hesse issued an order and a man Steve hadn’t noticed before returned moments later with a bag.

Hesse finally let go of Steve’s head and he gratefully slumped down, not minding at all that his cheeks got scraped on the rough ground.

A moment longer and he had been almost sure that either his neck or back, or maybe both, would have snapped from the strain.

The world turned fuzzy again and Steve fought with all he had against the feeling of drowning underwater.

He felt hands on the back of his neck, pushing his shirt away and he shivered because it was a rather intimate touch, sending goose bumps down his arms and legs. Then he felt the sharp prick of a needle and it all became clear. At least for a few seconds before the world started to dull again around the edges.

“There, there, “Hesse was patting him on the back of his head, as if talking to a stray dog, “That should keep you all pliable for a while.”

Steve grunted, his mind screaming obscenities at the man while his mind helpfully provided scenarios where his bare hands were wrapped around Hesse’ neck, wringing it until it snapped and until his lifeless eyes stared back up at him.

It might not be healthy to fantasize about that but honestly; Steve had never claimed to be well adjusted. He was well trained but that wasn’t necessarily the same thing.

When some awareness crept back into him, the pressure on his arms and back was gone and when he tried to move, to seize the moment, he found that he could barely twitch.

Whatever he had been given worked as a strong sedative, not necessarily knocking him out but disabling any motor function. Like this, he was afraid, that Hesse was actually right. If they kept on shooting him up with the drug he would not be a threat to anyone. And more importantly, he would probably go insane with rage because he never fared well when he was confined while being unable to do anything about.

Give him tied up anytime!

Or locked in a cell!

Or even strapped to a table because as long as he was fully conscious with his body under his command there was hope.

And frankly he had managed to get out of all the above scenarios without loosing life or limb so clearly, if someone was persistent enough, there was always a way out.

Like this though he wasn’t so sure what he could do.

Especially combined with a head injury because when the colour once more bled out of the world, he wasn’t so sure if it was the drug or his head trauma.

He could smell Hesse long before he was aware of the man by his side and his blue eyes fluttered open once more, trying to find enough strength to glare at the man whose mercy he currently found himself under.

“Why’d you take Danny?” Steve suddenly said, his words slightly slurred but it had just occurred to him that for Hesse to come after him, that actually made sense. But why was the man after Danny?

There was a chuckle and then the terrorist came once more into view, his cold eyes staring into Steve’s.

“You’ve got a reputation of having ice in your veins, you know that right?” the man asked and if Steve could’ve shrugged he would’ve because he couldn’t care less about what people thought about him. He got the job done; he was highly decorated and his superiors thought he was highly skilled.

He didn’t believe what the governor had claimed, that some thought he was the best they had seen in a long time because that surely was her trying to sweet talk him into leading her task force.

But apart from that, he knew that he was good and that he was capable of getting the job done.

If that meant that some thought he was cold hearted then that was of no concern to him. He wasn’t trying to be Mother Theresa, he was a SEAL or had been and sharing and caring wouldn’t get anything done.

“So of course I was curious to find out why all of a sudden you were breaking your habit.”

Steve blinked because what was the man talking about? What habit? And if he didn’t know he had a habit how could he have possibly broken it?

And what had any of that to do with the terrorist coming after his partner?

There was another chuckle and some condescending pat on Steve’s dark head that had Steve snarling. It wasn’t much but the sound did make Hesse retract his hand as if he had been bitten and for a moment Steve allowed himself to gloat because he might be unable to do anything at the moment but at least Hesse was still wary of him.

That counted for something.

“I’ve observed you for a while, “Hesse continued while Steve shuddered at the thought of Hesse creeping around the shadows, keeping tabs on him while he hadn’t noticed.

That was a severe failing on his part and he vowed that later on he would make sure that such an oversight didn’t happen again.

That Hesse had been presumed dead and that no one would’ve expected him to come back again wasn’t something that Steve registered because in his book you either get the job done or you failed.

And having Hesse watching him for who knew how long clearly fell under failing – at least according to Steve.

“And you seem to have formed a friendship of sorts with this new partner of yours and well, “There was a shrug before Hesse continued, “I was simply curious.” And after yet another moment, “and I couldn’t risk that your new partner would decide to come after me.”

Steve blinked because yes, if Danny had thought that he had been murdered then yes, the man would’ve been like a bloodhound, coming after whoever he thought was responsible and considering that he was well aware of Danny’s tenacity, the man wouldn’t have stopped until he either ended up dead or got what he was after.

So from this point of view, he couldn’t fault Hesse’ logic for also coming after his partner. He didn’t have to like it but he understood it.

Hesse was nothing if not methodical and once again Steve had to remind himself to consider himself lucky that for once the man seemed to have screwed up in hiring his lackeys.

“Don’t worry, “this time Hesse smiled and it wasn’t a nice smile at all, “I know what you’re thinking and you’re right.”

Steve doubted that Hesse had any clue what went on his head but interrupting crazy people was never a good idea and since he wasn’t feeling too well anyway, he might go with caution for once instead of throwing it out the window.

Usually he would be baiting Hesse right about now; trying to draw him out, trying to get him to make a mistake but his current state wasn’t conductive to doing anything but lie there and blink so maybe aggravating someone like Hesse wouldn’t be all that smart.

And Steve was smart; there were times when he might not know how to stop, at least according to Danny but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t smart.

So for once he listened and kept his mouth tightly shut.

“You’ve already taken care of one of the men and I’ll give you the honour of watching while I dispatch the other who failed.”

Steve let his eyes flutter shut at that because he had seen enough horrors in his life, he wasn’t particularly keen on seeing more but a sharp slap to his face, had his eyes fluttering open again.

“You better stay awake for this. I’m doing this for you after all. You’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.”

Steve tried; he honestly did but even getting turned around so that in theory he had a good view of what was to come didn’t change the fact that the combination of the drug and his head injury eventually was too much to resist.

After a particularly nasty scream followed by a gurgling sound his eyes fluttered shut for the last time, darkness finally claimed him.

 

Memories

4

“You’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.”

Those words echoed through Steve’s mind, bouncing left and right, waking up shadows that had once been memories that he had thought had gotten buried a long time ago.

But buried didn’t mean forgotten and the trigger had been enough to bring them back to the surface like snarling snakes trying to get out of a pit.

“Throw him in with Williams.”

The words vibrated around the room and when Steve’s eyes fluttered open he wondered if he could actually see them bouncing or if his sanity had finally deserted him.

He was roughly grabbed and since his legs weren’t really moving at all, he was dragged along the wall, his trousers barely providing any protecting to getting his legs scraped.

He tried to lift his head to have a look around, to see where they were going but mostly all he saw was darkness and dirt on the floor.

He did count the doors, he noted that they were still on the same level so when they would make a run for it, at least he would be able to remember that all they had to do was go straight.

And there was always Danny who hadn’t been drugged or injured so hopefully he had gotten a better look around when he had gotten dragged this way. Danny might be a loud mouth and a hot head but he was a damn good cop and surely he would’ve paid attention.

Steve usually didn’t count on others; he liked to rely on only himself because he had learned the hard way that most people couldn’t be trusted to be there when you needed them. Not out of any kind of malice, it simply seemed to be basic human nature.

Briefly, and totally not relevant at the time, Steve couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man Hesse thought he was. There had been no real malice in the man’s voice when he had told Steve that he should enjoy the show; instead only glee and anticipation had shimmered through and there was no doubt on Steve’s mind that Hesse had honestly thought that he would enjoy seeing someone get ripped to shreds.

He had been glad when he had slowly passed out and even Hesse trying his best to keep him awake had proven to be powerless against the combination of a head injury and the drug that he had been given.

Shadows were encroaching on his space and he was dimly aware that what he was seeing wasn’t actually there. There was a brief flash of relief, noting that at least he hadn’t lost his sanity yet.

But despite that, the memories that he had buried so long ago, and for good reasons, were resurfacing and what made them even more terrifying was the fact that the ancient feelings associated with them were also coming back.

For all purposes he was reliving it and it had been horrible the first time around; he wasn’t particularly looking forward to going through everything once more.

A door screeched open and when he was roughly shoved inside, he could see himself rolling sideways, steadying himself and avoiding landing face first in the dirt but his body wasn’t responding to any of his commands so this time, he roughly connected with the ground.

“Steve!” Danny’s all too familiar voice broke through the haze that was slowly descending on him, ringing loud and clear, but he still couldn’t do more than curl up into a tiny ball. His breaths were coming in ragged gasps and he was clutching at his side as best as he could.

He felt fresh scrapes on his face; his right cheek seemed to be particularly affected because he could feel the feint drips of blood but even without inspecting them, he knew that those scratches weren’t anything to be worried about.

He didn’t think he had any internal injury; he would’ve noticed by now if something was amiss but his side was bothering him and landing with all his weight on it yet once more, hadn’t done him any favours.

“Can you hear me?”

Of course he could hear him he just wasn’t really able to respond at the moment apart from emitting a low level grunt and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Hold on, “Danny urged him, “There’s some dingy mattress over there. That should be more comfortable for you.”

Steve wanted to shake his head because there was no way of knowing what the mattress had been used for and maybe the floor would be better for him but when Danny gently but firmly more or less dragged him towards it, he couldn’t deny that landing on something that was softer than the floor was a relief.

He grunted, focusing to keep breathing, in and out, in and out. That was what he was supposed to be doing and eventually, after what couldn’t have been more than a few minutes but felt like an eternity; the pain subsided back into the dull ache it had been before.

Danny was by his side the entire time, mumbling something but what Steve felt the most was the man’s body heat and he found his partner’s presence oddly reassuring.

“How you’re feeling?” Danny asked and when Steve opened his eyes he couldn’t help himself, he rolled his eyes at Danny because seriously, had the man just asked how he felt?

Wasn’t that obvious?

How often did he curl on the floor gasping for breath?

“Not that bad then,” he concluded, a soft smile on his face, “If you can still give me that smirk of yours.”

Steve blinked because he hadn’t been aware that he had smirked but whatever. He shrugged, his eyes falling closed again and this time Danny didn’t let him rest in peace instead he started shaking him, demanding that he open his eyes.

Steve knew that he was right; he had a concussion, probably a bad one considering how much his head hurt and how unfocused and disoriented he was so staying awake was something that he should be doing.

However the drug kept pulling him under and he needed to make Danny aware that it wasn’t just his head wound that was causing him to be this lethargic.

He wet his lips, his tongue darting over the chopped pieces when he forced his eyes open.

Many people had accused him of quite a lot of things in his life but the one thing that he wholeheartedly agreed on was that he was stubborn bastard. And he wasn’t yet ready to submit to the pull of the drug; lulling him deeper because he knew what waited for him once he did that.

A particular memory that he was in no hurry of reliving but he had the nagging feeling that he wasn’t going to escape it for long.

Will power was great but the drug he had been given would win, there was no doubt about it.

“Drugged me, “his voice was slurred but the words still came out clear enough.

His dark blue eyes fluttered open and he startled a little bit when he noticed how close Danny was to him. Somehow his arm had been draped over Steve’s chest, pulling him flush towards Danny’s body and even though the position he was finding himself in should’ve been uncomfortable or at least embarrassing, Steve found that he actually liked it.

Or that he didn’t mind it, he would admit to at least that.

“What they give you?” Danny’s question was legitimate because Steve could’ve been drugged with the hard stuff or with a simple sedative but from where Steve was standing, or lying at the moment, there wasn’t all that much that was simple about the sedative.

“Sedative, “he said slowly and carefully, finding it more and more difficult to articulate the words his mind was forming.

Danny nodded as if that made complete sense, “You caused trouble; they decided not to take the risk.”

Steve nodded or at least he thought he did, he wasn’t so sure at this point.

“I’ve got to confess that there are times when I wouldn’t mind drugging your sorry ass.” Danny suddenly said, his voice charming with a hint of teasing that told Steve that Danny only partially meant it. “Or at least cuff you to the car so that you can’t run off and throw yourself at danger like you seem to constantly do.”

“Never do that, “Steve was hoping he sounded indignant because that was how he felt. He didn’t wake up in the morning, thinking of ways to endanger his life or Danny’s. Stuff just happened, it always did when he was around but that wasn’t his fault.

His sister had often called him a magnet for trouble and after so many years of proving her right, Steve had long since learned how to roll with the punches life threw at him.

And he had to admit that most of the time; he enjoyed the thrill of the chase or the surge of adrenalin that danger always caused.

But he never went out looking for it; danger always found him!

“Right, “Danny snorted, clearly not believing a word Steve was saying.

Steve huffed but when the breath left his body he could feel himself slipping away. Danny’s hand was warm on his shoulder, holding him close there might have been fingers running through his short, dark hair so his body relaxed further, sensing no danger at all.

This was comfortable and it had been a long time since he had been held.

##

He was eight years old and since his father had promised to take him hiking, Steve had been up at the crack of dawn.

His sister was too young to come with them and he was looking forward to spending some time with his father.

His father was always busy working and he rarely kept promises or had enough time to spend with him so this hiking trip meant a lot to him.

He should’ve known better of course because when he was ready, his father hugged him before saying, “I’m sorry Stevie. I got a call, I have to go to work.”

Steve opened his mouth to protest or scream his fury, like any eight-year-old wood but there was a huge part of him that had expected to be disappointed so he only slowly nodded his head.

When his father was gone though, he grabbed his bag and headed out himself.

His father had promised him a hiking trip and if the man couldn’t deliver then he would simply do it by himself.

At first everything had been fine. Of course being so young he hadn’t been able to get to where they should’ve been going so he had simply started walking along the road until he found a patch that had looked appealing and then he had started to cut across the countryside.

Looking back this hadn’t been one of his best ideas but at the time it had all been perfectly logical. His father owed him a day and if he wouldn’t deliver then Steve saw no problem with going out and doing it himself.

It might have been that day that the character trait had been formed or maybe he had been born with it but if Steve had to trace back to any moment in time where he had become aware of the fact that promises usually always ended up broken and that he could only rely on himself, then he would probably pinpoint that day.

He was smart enough to pack enough bottled water to get him going but unfortunately he didn’t watch where he was going so when the ground suddenly gave way underneath his small feet, all he could do was scream while plunging into what seemed to be total darkness.

He landed after an eternity, twisting his ankle and scraping his shoulders and it was only sheer luck that he didn’t break his neck.

For a few moments he was stunned, breathing rapidly while trying to snap out of being paralysed by fear.

He shuffled, rolling until he was able to sit up and only then did he realize the mess he was truly in.

He had fallen into a hole and the entrance was too high up for him to reach. He valiantly tried to find something to hold on to on the side but loose stone and mud covered the whole area and all in all it looked terribly unstable.

He had no idea what the hole had been dug for but it was quite clear that he wasn’t going to be able to get out of it on his own.

He tried calling for help until his voice was hoarse but of course, no one was looking for him or if they were, they wouldn’t be looking for him out here.

He was thirsty and hungry but he was smart enough to ration his food and water, knowing despite his young age that if he wanted to get out of this, then he would have to ensure that he didn’t run out of water and food.

He had no idea how much time had passed. He kept slipping in and out of an exhausted sleep and when it started raining, he even had the presence of mind to open up some empty bottles to try and refill them.

It didn’t quite work but since he had nothing else to do he amused himself by trying to catch the falling raindrops and eventually he did manage to replenish his already dwindling water supply.

Night had fallen by then and even though the night was warm, his clothes were wet and he started shivering.

The longer he stayed trapped in the hole, the more fear slowly started taking over, as if a different entity possessed him. His world shrunk down to the tiny space around him and his focus was on the hole above him, a symbol of freedom.

More hours passed and the shakes he had kept at bay at first only grew worse. His vision started to dim and it took him a while to figure out that the night wasn’t getting any darker but that he was slowly loosing consciousness.

He started screaming for help again; hoping that anyone would hear him but no one came. A deep pain settled in the pit of his stomach as he realized that he was alone.

That wasn’t a feeling that an eight year old should experience and by the time help arrived hours later it was already too late.

Steve had learned a few valuable lessons that day. One: promises meant nothing. Two: he was alone like everyone else regardless of what people said. Three: he could only trust himself. Four: the thrill of coming out of the hole, having survived despite all odds was electrifying and, unknown to him, also quite addictive.

Feeling alive, feeling like he mattered was like a drug and even though on some level he was aware of it, by the time he was a teenager those tendencies had only augmented personality traits that had already been there.

So no, Steve wouldn’t say that he liked taking risks; he wouldn’t say that he rushed into danger; he simply would say that he never backed down and that he was too stubborn to give up even when the odds were against him.

5

A cough was what woke him.

His senses kicked in, awareness flooded back into his body even though he knew that he was far from back to normal.

Memories came rushing back and he flinched instinctively when he recalled what happened to him when he had been eight years old.

It wasn’t as if he had completely erased that memory from his mind before but like with everything else that he had done and seen since then, he had shoved it so far down that he normally never thought of it.

Only in his dreams and on bad days did some recent memories haunt him but he figured that any soldier had the same problem and it wasn’t anything to worry about.

He had seen a lot of death and horror and quite frankly he had been the cause of some of it. Serving his country was something he was proud of and keeping his home safe now from those that wanted to harm it was just as important as what he had done before.

People depended on him even if most weren’t aware of it. And he had a great team to back him up and it was those individual strengths that every single member brought into their new elite unit that made them so strong and successful.

He shifted; extracting himself from Danny and Steve avoided looking at the man while he fiddled with his clothes.

It had seemed perfectly natural for him to allow himself to drift off to sleep last night, as if resting in Danny’s arm was normal but in the light of day, he wasn’t so sure what to do with it.

The women he slept with weren’t the sort to demand cuddles afterwards and the times that he actually stayed around to wake up with them were very rare.

Soft daylight was falling through a small window high above them and after a long, hard look; he could hear Danny snorting next to him.

“Don’t hurt yourself, “he said, “I already checked it out. If you can squeeze through that I will willingly eat pineapples for a whole week. Hell, I will even eat them on a pizza!”

This gave Steve all the more reason to look at the window because nothing would please him more than to convince Danny that pineapples did belong on a pizza but sadly his partner was right. The window wasn’t wide enough for a man to slip through. And even if that were possible, getting up high enough to reach it would’ve been a stretch.

He sighed, rubbing his chin. He would simply have to get Danny to see reason a different way. Maybe get him drunk and then feed him proper pizza?

It could work and Steve filed that away for future planning.

He focused inward, taking a quick stock of his aches and pains and he was relieved to note that his head seemed a lot clearer than it had been yesterday.

He slowly tried to get up and it was only when Danny steadied him that he managed to stand upright.

He was obviously still a far cry away from being back to his old self but at least he was on the mend.

He might not even need to go to the hospital but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Footsteps just outside the door alerted him that someone was coming and he was on the move, heading towards the door before he could think about.

The moment of surprise was the only thing they had because Steve was pretty sure that if Hesse discovered that he was awake he would only end up getting drugged again and frankly, he doubted that he would be able to resist getting injected again.

He would fight it of course but in his current condition it would probably only take two men to take him out which really wasn’t all that flattering.

He remembered that the door opened inwards so his plan was to hide behind it, surprising whoever entered and taking him out.

Unfortunately he wasn’t quick enough so when he reached the side of the door, it flung open, hitting him in the face.

“Owww, “he protested, clutching his head while taking a few steps backwards.

“What the…”the man exclaimed and Steve only remembered his cunning plan when Danny barrelled past him, knocking the man flat onto the ground and subduing him in under half a minute.

Steve grabbed the gun that had fallen free and with a wicked grin, he smiled at his partner before slowly moving towards the door.

“Give that to me, “Danny grabbed his arm and Steve shook his head.

“You can barely walk in a straight line, “Danny kept his voice low because there was no way for them to know if more were out there or not. “Do you think you’ll be able to shoot straight?”

Steve narrowed his eyes because was an excellent shot and for Danny to insinuate that he wasn’t, well, that was just uncalled for.

“I can still aim and shoot, “he shrugged slightly, mindful that his right side was still protesting any sharp movement of his, “that isn’t really all that hard.”

“No, “Danny conceded and Steve thought had won the round but then Danny said, “You know as well as I do that in a situation like this you don’t shoot to main, you shoot to kill because if you shoot someone in the arm, he can always use the other arm to come after you.”

And the you are in no condition to do anything about it was clearly implied.

Steve narrowed his eyes, glaring at Danny but when the man pried the gun out of his hand he let him because despite objecting to being called a liability he knew that he was right. He wasn’t totally useless but if the last few minutes proved anything then it was that he wasn’t quite his old self yet.

Still, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t main a few people on the way because he still had his hands and he didn’t need an actual weapon to be considered as armed and dangerous. His hand-to-hand combat skills might just as well be considered as lethal.

Having lost the gun made Steve grit his teeth but even though he would never admit to it out loud, Danny did have a point.

He was lucky that he was walking, more or less on his own, at the moment and not stumbling along like some drunken fool.

It might be good for once to let someone else take the gun and the lead even though it went against every fibre in his body.

His hand trailed along the wall, ensuring that he kept his balance and even though Danny pretended not to look, Steve still caught the glances that were sent his way every few second.

Danny’s whole posture screamed tenseness at him and he was fairly sure that if he so much as looked as if he was stumbling, the blond man would leap and catch him.

That was quite mortifying and still, it was also something that sent little shivers of warmth down to his heart.

Even though it seemed like the dimly lit hallway was never going to end, it couldn’t have taken them more than two minutes to reach the door that would lead them into the bigger hall.

Danny motioned for Steve to stop and Steve rolled his eyes because who between them had the special training?

Of course he knew that he was supposed to stop and he carefully leaned against the wall, mindful of his aching right side.

He watched Danny take a deep breath before he checked the gun for ammo, readying himself to leap into the room.

Steve reached out, grabbing Danny by the arm, mouthing to him to stop. He pulled the man backwards, shuffling back into the hallway.

“Now what?” Danny whispered and Steve pointed towards a door that was open enough for them to squeeze through.

They hadn’t bothered with any of the other doors in the hallway because this place had clearly been deserted for a long time and it was quite likely that any door they tried to push open would creek, alerting anyone within hearing range to their presence.

“Maybe there’s a window in there we can squeeze through, “ he returned the whisper and for a moment Danny seemed to ponder that before he slowly nodded.

“Let me, “he was trying to say but Steve shook his head, pushing past his partner.

Danny was the one with a gun; he needed to watch his back and if the annoyed hiss that followed was anything to go by then his partner wasn’t happy with letting Steve out of his sight.

He also wasn’t happy with looking for another way out because his entire body itched with the need to charge into the room, arrest everyone in sight and if he got really lucky he would be able to shoot Hesse on sight.

That he didn’t have a gun didn’t matter because in his mind, that was exactly what would happen.

He knew better than that though; his training had taught him not to back down from a fight but he also knew when he needed to retreat. He didn’t have to like it but right now it was the two of them against an unknown number of men and frankly, no amount of denial on his part would make up for the fact that he wasn’t up to take on anyone at the moment.

And he couldn’t ask Danny to shoulder most of the risk. This was his fight, his personal grudge against the man who had killed his father that had led them to this point and he would be dammed before he allowed another innocent bystander to get caught in the crossfire that was his life.

Danny hadn’t complained yet but the man was loyal. So it would be up to Steve to ensure that his partner didn’t end up as a casualty between him and Hesse.

He squeezed through the open door, making sure not to push it and it hurt like hell to suck in his breath, balancing his entire weight like he would normally do.

He hadn’t even realized that he had started to favour his left side until now.

When he was through, he bent forward a bit, his breath coming in ragged gasps to clear out the dots in his vision.

After another shuddering breath he finally lifted his head, his arm reaching for the wall again to keep himself steady.

The room was quite similar to the one they had been in before: dirty floor covered by years of neglect and probably animal excrements followed by slightly crumbling walls but more importantly a window.

And the glass on the window was so dirty that if he hadn’t known that it was daylight he would’ve thought it was still night but that wasn’t what had him gasping, hope flaring in his chest.

No, it was the fact that the window was big, big enough for them to climb out.

He made to turn around to gesture to Danny to follow him into the room but when he turned, he already found the man sliding through the door.

He nodded, pointing towards the window and since they had to cross the room, Danny grabbed Steve’s hand, guiding him towards it.

Steve scoffed at the gesture but he allowed it because the moment his steady grip on the wall had been removed the room had started tilting again and frankly they couldn’t afford for him to face plant onto the floor right now.

Their escape hadn’t been discovered yet but sooner or later someone would worry what had happened to them and they would come looking.

Once they reached the window, Steve tried to pry it open. By silent agreement Danny was flanking him, keeping an eye on the door, weapon raised and ready.

At first the window wouldn’t budge but eventually it creaked and Steve managed to open it wide enough for them to slide through.

The sound had echoed through the room and to his ears it had been loud enough as if a bomb had been dropped by they didn’t waste any time debating if they had been heard.

Danny gestured for him to go first; keeping an eye on Steve’s back and for once Steve followed an order that hadn’t been issued by him.

The window opened upwards, giving him a small crawl space to slide through and normally he would have been through within the span of a few seconds but right now, it took him a bit longer.

He slid one leg over first, then he crouched down, bending sideways to move his upper body through and when he was on the other side, he pulled his other leg over the edge and out.

The whole process had sent flares of pain through his body, both from his protesting side and from his aching head.

 

Apparently leaning forward or sideways wasn’t something that his head approved of but after almost biting his lip bloody he had made it.

This wasn’t the first time he needed to function with an injury; he wouldn’t go so far to say that he was used to it because that might make him sound blasé about something this important but if anyone thought that he hadn’t gotten hurt on a mission before than that person needed to have his or her head examined.

He had a few scars scattered around his body but that didn’t bother him one bit. He had come out of every challenge life had thrown at him alive and that was all that mattered.

Still, every time he got hurt it took extra effort to keep going, to push himself harder because the inclination to lick his wounds – so to speak – was probably a natural human tendency.

He moved sideways, his blue eyes sharp and he examined the immediate area.

He didn’t look back but he could hear Danny rummaging around, moving through the window and he took pride in the fact that despite his injuries, he had still been a lot quieter than his partner.

When he turned around to look at a breathless Danny he couldn’t contain the smirk that spread all over his face.

The blond man grumbled something that Steve couldn’t understand but he didn’t need to because the annoyance that flashed over his partner’s face was a balm on his ego.

Danny brushed past him, taking the lead once more while Steve kept a watchful eye on their back.

The window had led out onto a small metal staircase that wound up and down the side of the building and below them was small narrow street before the edge gave way to the harbour waters.

They moved quietly, the morning sun was slowly rising and a soft breeze was cooling only a fraction of the air.

“Look out, “Danny called out the moment a bullet whizzed past Steve and only instinct or a sixth sense of sort had made him turn his head at the right moment in time because otherwise, the bullet would’ve hit him straight on.

Danny let out a string of curses, crouching down to get as much protection as he could behind the thin railing that was flanking the staircase while he returned fire.

Steve had flattened himself to the wall, trying to make himself a smaller target when a metal shuffling sound alerted him to the presence of someone coming up behind him.

They had just managed to get down one flight of stairs, taking a turn on a small ledge before they had come under fire and Steve’s whole body tensed, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The only weapon he had was himself so when the man came into view, his gun raised and aiming at them, he was ready.

He struck out his reflexes were still lightning quick, grabbing the gun hand and twisting it sideways until he heard the bone snap. With a loud clanking sound the gun fell onto the metal stairs but Steve didn’t waste a moment’s thought about retrieving it.

Trying to shoot the guy would be a rookie mistake because the time it would take for him to bend over and reach for the dropped gun would be all his assailant needed to either reach for a second gun or shove him over the edge.

Guns were handy but they didn’t always win a fight.

So instead of wasting his time reaching for the gun, Steve practically launched himself at the guy, landing a well-placed punch into the man’s kidneys followed by a sharp kick into where it really hurt.

If there had been time, Steve would’ve taken a moment to flinch because no one should ever hit a guy there but desperate times called for desperate measures and frankly the longer it took them to get out of this death trap the more likely it was that more bad guys would show up.

And they would not get a second chance to escape. Hesse was many things but stupid wasn’t one of them.

The sudden kick landing on his right side wasn’t welcome but Steve couldn’t say that he hadn’t expected it.

He fought against seeing stars and only thanks to his training was able to pull through, fighting the darkness until he managed to land another kick somewhere on the man’s body.

The loud shooting from behind him and some whizzing bullets that zoomed past him told him that he shouldn’t expect Danny to come to his help any time soon so he put all he had into yet another tackle, hoping that a swift kick into the railing followed by a hit on the man’s temple would fell the guy for good.

Unfortunately he hadn’t counted on the bad condition the railing was in because when he shoved the man backwards with all he had, instead of grunting out in pain, the railing gave way and because Steve hadn’t expected that, he wasn’t quick enough to stop himself from going over the edge.

Later on he wouldn’t be able to say what had made him do it. Any one else would’ve tried to slow down, grabbling for any sort of hole but Steve took one look at the ground, then another look at the nearby water and instead of slowing down he put more energy into his tumble going so far as to push himself forward and off the edge.

It was crazy but since he wouldn’t have been able to stop in time he was hoping that if he put enough force into it, he would get enough momentum to pull himself out far enough that instead of smashing onto the ground he would land in the water.

That was his only hope.

They weren’t all that high above ground but if he survived the landing on solid concrete then he surely would wish that he was dead because an impact like this wouldn’t be something that he would be walking away from without some serious consequences.

Thankfully there were ways to sped up one’s momentum and if parachuting had taught him anything then it was how to minimize his body so that there was less friction thus giving him more speed for the drop.

Of course this wasn’t some drop out of a plane, it was a free fall done by accident but his body reacted without needing much input from him and when the clear blue water of the ocean rushed towards him, he braced himself for the impact.

When he crashed through the surface of the water he did so with a song in his heart because it meant that this wasn’t going to be the day he died. At least not yet.

The impact, even though he had seen it coming, still sent a jolt of pain through his body and he curled and twisted until his reflexes kicked in again and he started swimming upwards.

He had no idea if the man he had tackled had managed to hit the water or if he had died on the concrete but right now the burning in his lungs told him that it was much more important to reach the surface than wonder about the fate of the man that had tried to kill him.

He broke through the surface, gasping for air, his legs treading water while he was busy ignoring how everything ached even more because salt water was never a good thing when there were any open wounds around.

A sharp splash nearby alerted him to the fact that someone else was now trying to take shots at him and the best course of action was to dive and to swim away from where he could be considered as target practice.

The only problem with that was that his body wasn’t quite as responsive as he would like and there was the danger that if he dove under the water, a new dizzy spell would disorient him and then he would lose sight of what was up and what was down.

Something else whizzed past him; too close for comfort so Steve readied himself to dive, regardless of the risks when a sharp sting in his right leg had him sinking without needing any further prompt.

He struggled against the waves, against the pull of the deep and when his head broke through the water again, he noticed that it was slowly discolouring, changing from blue to red.

He had been shot.

His eyes widened a little bit once the knowledge sunk in and he was just in time to see something hurling towards him and with wide eyes he pushed sideways while ducking at the same time, taking in as much air into his lungs as humanly possible.

He wasn’t quick enough though so whatever had been flung his way hit him on the side of his head.

He spluttered, knowing better than doing something like that and yes, gulping for air while being underwater wasn’t such a great idea either but the stars that were slowly spreading all around him made thinking or acting somewhat difficult.

His legs were still working, so he kept on treading in the water and when his face broke through the surface again, he gasped for air.

A large piece of wood was floating nearby so he figured that this must have been what had hit him and as much as he strained he couldn’t hear any shots fired any more.

Was Danny still alive? Did that mean that his partner had taken out the bad guys or did it mean that he had lost someone he had come to consider as a friend?

He strained, trying to persuade his muscles to move.

Swimming was second nature to him, it shouldn’t be this difficult but somehow his arms and legs were slow to respond and he was sinking again before he knew what had happened.

Damm it, he cursed inside his head as he once again sunk deeper, blue ocean water all around him. This wasn’t good.

So this was what drowning felt like, he thought idly. Not that he had spent much time thinking about how he would die one day but considering his life, he had spent a moment or two considering it.

Getting shot had been high on the list followed by maybe a fall that would end deadly but whatever he had thought about, drowning hadn’t been among the things he had considered.

He was a SEAL; if that hadn’t been enough to teach him how to swim then he didn’t know what would. The water was practically his second element and going down like this wasn’t something he would ever live down!

He renewed his struggles, breaking through the water once more to gasp a lung full of much needed air.

Whoops, he thought, if this was going to be the end, then it wouldn’t matter that he thought it was an indignity for him to drown because he would be dead! Nothing would matter to him then!

He wouldn’t be around to hear the scalding comments from people he had known and maybe his tombstone would read: Remembered for drowning despite his training.

Now those thoughts were just morbid; and he pushed them aside, trying to clear his mind. He wasn’t dead yet so he needed to focus on staying that way.

There was a loud splash nearby and he had just gone under again when he felt movement in the water.

His brain screamed at him to react; that he needed to be alert to defend himself but his arms and legs stopped moving and the world slowly but steadily changed from blue to black.

Suddenly he was grabbed, rough hands were pulling at his body and then he was turned around, arms coming around his chest in a lock that he was more than familiar with.

“Breathe damn it, “a familiar voice screamed at him and for a moment nothing happened. Then his lungs sprung into action again, taking a deep breath that vibrated through him like a new dawn.

He sucked in as much air as he could, spluttering when it wasn’t enough, something wet was trickling down his mouth and with shock he realized that somehow along the line, he must have swallowed some water.

He slowly started to fade again but he made sure not to struggle, to allow Danny to pull him to shore. He knew that many people drowned not because help hadn’t arrived on time but because they started to struggle against whoever was rescuing them and even though it went against everything inside him, he kept himself passive.

Then again, it wasn’t that hard because he hadn’t felt this tired in a long time and taking a nap, however ill advised as it might be, sounded mighty good right about now.

There were more curses ringing in his ears and somehow he found the strength to remark, “Do you kiss your daughter with that mouth of yours?”

There was moment of silence before Danny barked a laugh that sounded strained, “You can’t be that bad off if you’re still up to making stupid jokes.”

Steve didn’t know about that but when Danny took his hand, forcing him to grip the edge of a ladder he knew that maybe he was right.

He felt horrible but it wasn’t time yet for him to pass out. Danny loathed the water and up until now he hadn’t even been sure if, despite his claims, that the man knew how to swim.

Obviously he knew his way around the water because he had gotten Steve this far but the ex SEAL didn’t want to take any chances so he steadied his grip and with Danny pushing up from below, he slowly climbed up.

Danny’s hands on his ass wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on and by the time he more or less fell onto the solid ground, it had already slipped his mind.

“Don’t you dare pass out on me now, “Danny shouted at him, gently shaking him to get his attention but this time it was too late.

Steve grunted something, not even he knew what it was, and then he slowly faded away.

His last thought before everything went black was: at least he hadn’t drowned.

6

Danny watched Steve’s dark blue eyes flutter shut and he wanted to scream. Instead he settled onto the ground, pulling the unconscious man onto his lap. He started to run his fingers through Steve’s wet hair, hoping that despite being out for the count, the other man would feel comforted by it.

When Steve had fallen, for a moment Danny had thought his heart would stop. The timing had been horrible because he had just managed to shoot the man who had taken pot shots at them and if Steve had managed to hang on a few seconds longer, this whole mess could’ve been avoided.

But since this was Steve McGarrett they were talking about, of course instead of picking the easy way the man had to do it the hard way.

He had swallowed hard, almost afraid to look down, expecting to see Steve’s smashed and bloodied body beneath him but his indecision had only lasted mere seconds. When he had finally taken a look all he had seen was their attacker and after frowning in confusion, his eyes had darted forward to see Steve in the water.

His relief had been short lived because instead of swimming towards the shore as he had expected, the man kept on vanishing and it was clear to him quickly that Steve was probably going to need his help.

The gun still in hand he had run down the remaining stairs only to see another man coming around a corner.

He had ducked behind a nearby container of sorts, flinching when he heard the impact of bullets behind him.

When there had been a moment of silence, he had risked taking a peek and once again his heart had been close to stopping because the man was shooting at the water, which could only mean that he was trying to shoot Steve.

And no one had the right to shoot Steve unless it was him!

He had earned that much after putting up with the maniac for this long and with renewed anger, he crouched low, looking sideways and fired off as many shots as he could.

He ducked just in time when the man started shooting at him and this was far better than trying to shoot Steve who right now was defenceless.

That was usually not a word that Danny liked to associate with Steve because he was sure that even asleep the man was a danger to anyone around him but right now with probably a major concussion on top of whatever injuries the man had managed to sustain while Danny hadn’t been looking, Steve was as harmless as a feral kitten.

He could still growl and flash his claws but nothing would come of it.

That imagery had him almost smiling and when he decided to take another look, he was just in time to see the attacker throw something big and lumpy into the water, probably aiming for Steve.

There were no more shots fired so Danny concluded that the man must be out of bullets so he checked his own clip, noting that he only had one more bullet left.

Without thinking any further about it, he let out a war cry of sorts that would’ve made Steve proud.

He dashed forward, startling the shooter enough to give Danny enough time to aim and fire.

The man was flung backwards and even though Danny wanted nothing more than to jump into the water straight away, he still ran up to the man on the ground, making sure that the gun was out of his reach before verifying that he was indeed dead.

He bent down, biting his lip when the pain in his leg flared up again but if Steve could push through his injuries then he wasn’t going to let his leg keep him from searching the man’s pocket for his phone.

He let out a small yip when he was victorious, dialling Chin’s number before his brain was able to catch up with him.

His friend barely had the time to answer before Danny shouted into the phone, “Steve’s injured. Need an ambulance. Hesse came after us. Track our phone and hurry.”

 

He put the phone on the ground before he sprinted towards the water, launching himself forward that would have made Steve proud if he had been able to watch it.

Danny disliked the water; he had made his opinion about beaches and swimming clear enough but just because he detested the water didn’t mean that he didn’t know the basics.

He knew how to swim and he had done basic rescue training long ago. Not everything had stuck with him but he figured that even partly unconscious Steve would know enough to let him do his job.

He wouldn’t have to worry about Steve struggling with him, he was certain of that.

And when his friend was well again they would have to have a discussion about Steve stopping giving Danny small heart attacks because at the rate they were going it was going to be a draw if he got shot because Steve was dashing headfirst into danger without thinking about it or if he died because his heart had stopped.

And right now his heart was about to stop again because he was in the water, ignoring how wet it was and how it clung to his clothes and he hadn’t seen Steve in a few minutes.

“Steve!” he shouted the man’s name, knowing fully well that he shouldn’t expect an answer but he still couldn’t stop himself from calling out.

There…he saw something and then Steve resurfaced again.

Danny swam over, as fast as he could and when he had his partner secured, for a few tense moments it seemed as if he wasn’t breathing. Then Steve took a few laboured breaths and Danny allowed himself to close his eyes for a few seconds in relief.

Getting Steve up the ladder turned out to be easier than he had thought and he wasn’t distracted at all by placing his hands on Steve’s ass to push him upwards. Really, not distracted at all because this was a life and death situation and it simply wasn’t appropriate to have any thoughts that didn’t focus on making sure that Steve was safe.

And he was sticking to that!

Of course even a stubborn man like Steve could only take so much so Danny wasn’t surprised at all when he finally passed out.

Hopefully no one else was going to take shots at them while he waited for their back up to arrive but he was pretty certain that Hesse would be smart enough to count his losses and vanish long before Danny had made the call.

Steve would be furious that the man who had killed his father had slipped through their fingers but he would take Steve’s fury over anything right now because it would mean that his partner was alright.

The head wound had started bleeding again from where the log had hit him and his fingers tightened their grip on Steve’s shirt.

He wasn’t going to lose his crazy partner; he just wasn’t. He ripped off his own shirt and tore it to shreds, pulling the remains tight around Steve’s leg, hoping that the bullet had just grazed him. It bled fiercely though so he tried to make the compression extra tight.

Eventually after what seemed like an eternity he could hear the sirens in the back and even though he didn’t want to leave Steve alone, he had no choice but to let go.

He gently placed him on the ground and then he hobbled towards the phone. He probably should’ve done this sooner but better late than not at all.

He shouldn’t have worried though because apparently the tracking had worked well enough that the ambulance was coming around the corner long before he had reached the phone.

Everything got sort of hazy after that and despite his protests that he wasn’t injured, that they should be focusing on Steve and not on him, he too found himself shoved into an ambulance, wrapped up in a blanket of sorts.

He closed his eyes only for a brief moment and the next thing he knew, he was staring at someone, shaking him gently, “We’re here. Your friend has already been taken in…”

And Danny didn’t need to hear more than that before he shoved the man out of his path, jumping out of the ambulance.

He ignored the protests of his leg, running towards the emergency room.

Car tires screeched behind him and then Kono and Chin peeled out of the car, running to catch up with him.

They shared a concerned smile before all three of them dashed into the emergency room.

 

Unexpected consequences

7

Waiting wasn’t Danny’s strong suit and even after he had endured getting checked out himself, there still was no word on Steve.

Another glance at his watch told him that contrary to how it felt, not that much time had passed.

Kono was sprawled in of the many plastic chairs in the waiting room and Chin was currently on the phone coordinating the search for the escaped terrorist.

It had come as a shock to everyone to find out that Hesse was still alive so right now every one on the island had been put on alert.

If the man got near an airport or a harbour he would be found but honestly Danny wasn’t holding out hope that Hesse was going to do anything as stupid as that.

He had stayed hidden so far, he had gotten treatment for his gunshot wound from someone without them getting even a hint of it, so clearly the man wasn’t going to slip up now. Still, hope sprung eternal and there was no law against hoping that it would be all over by the time Steve opened his blue eyes.

If it wasn’t then Steve was going to be hard to live with, Danny was sure of it. If his partner had been hell bent on catching criminals, he really didn’t want to know what his crazy partner was going to do now that he knew that his father’s killer was still on the loose.

He shuddered at the thought.

“Mr. Williams?” he was startled when a woman called his name and he stood up, nodding in acknowledgement.

“Is there any news on my partner?” he asked and the woman nodded. Her nametag read Dr. Davenport and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kono rise up as well, moving to stand beside him.

“If you follow me so that we can talk in private?” she said with a nod but Danny shook his head.

“Anything you can say you can say in front of Kono here too. She’s part of our team.”

She checked something on her clipboard and then she shook her head, “I am afraid she isn’t listed on Mr. McGarrett’s medical emergency list…”

“But I am?” Danny asked confused, the incredulity audible in his voice because he hadn’t known that Steve had listed him as an emergency contact.

The stoic man trusted him enough to make life and death calls should the need call for it?

Danny’s heart constricted because he didn’t quite know how to digest that information.

“It’s ok, Danny, “Kono patted him on the shoulder before giving him a slight shove, “Talk to the doctor.” And the then you can tell me afterwards was implied.

Danny nodded his head, rubbing his chin while slowly following the doctor into a small room.

“Mr. McGarrett is out of surgery.”

Danny hated that doctors always seemed to take the long way around to telling people if their loved ones were going to be alright or not. All he wanted to know was if Steve was going to be alright and the list of injuries could wait until after.

“I just want to know if he is going to be alright, “he tried to keep the bite out of his tone of voice because the doctor surely wasn’t trying to be annoying, she was only doing her job.

“We did scans for his head trauma and he is one lucky man, “there was a short pause on her part before she continued. “He has a major concussion so once he wakes up he will have a strong headache and be dizzy and disoriented for a while. It will pass on its own though and I will prescribe some strong painkillers for the duration.”

Danny nodded, blinking rapidly while filing away the information given to him. There was no chance that Steve was going to take the painkillers willingly so he was going to have to come up with a way to sneak them into his diet.

Crush them up maybe and empty them into a glass of water?

“I want to keep him for the next twenty four hours to monitor his condition but I am not too worried about it. As I understand it the accident happened early last night?”

Danny had to take a moment to think about this because frankly he wasn’t so sure what time of day it was.

“Did you notice any fluid coming out of his ears or nose?” Danny once again shook his head.

“His pupils are of the same size and they are reacting normally so this all leads me to be optimistic.”

“Good, good…”Danny mumbled waiting for the other shoe to drop because doctors rarely had only good news to give. He hoped he was wrong but he wasn’t going to count his blessings until the woman was done.

“We ran a tox screen because he was given an unknown sedative and all results came back as fairly normal so that isn’t anything further to be concerned about.”

For a moment Danny’s mouth hung open because he had totally forgotten that Steve had been given a drug and frankly it could’ve been anything.

“His right side sustained severe bruising and there was a cut that bled deeply.” She continued, “but all our x-rays shows no internal bleeding or damages so apart from the few stitches that were needed to close up the wound, he should be fine. I am precsirbing him a course of antibiotics to fight off any possible infection and to make sure that the wound heals nicely.”

Danny nodded again, thinking so far so good.

“The stitches can come out in about a week. I will give you an appointment at the time Mr. McGarrett is released.”

There was more nodding on Danny’s part to show her that he was still listening.

“The bullet thankfully only grazed his right leg and there were also a few stitches needed to close up the wound. We can remove them all at the same time, so that shouldn’t be a problem. A nurse will walk you through a few physical therapy exercises that I would recommend to ensure that there is no lasting stiffness in the upper leg but overall, he was once again lucky. There was no major muscle damage and like I said, the bullet simply grazed him.”

“He’ll be a pain in the ass though because he won’t be able to jump off any buildings for a while…”Danny mumbled and he only realized that he had said that out loud when the doctor looked at him as if he had lost his mind, her fingers were twitching as if she was itching to have him committed for some sort of exam, “Come again?” she said and Danny tried his best, innocent smile, tilting his head sideways.

“Uh, nothing, “he hedged, “Just thinking out loud.” Then he rubbed his face again, letting show how tired he really was, “I’ve had a long day, you know?”

The woman nodded with empathy and started to herd him out of the room.

 

“I’ll show you which room your partner has been moved to. You can visit him but please keep it short.”

“Thank you, “He simply said.

During their conversation it hadn’t occurred to him once that the doctor had obviously assumed that Danny was going to be in charge during Steve’s recovery and frankly, it didn’t even occur to Danny until he was standing in Steve’s hospital room, looking down at the sleeping man.

“You’re nothing but trouble, “He said gravely but there was no sting in his voice. If anything there was humour and affection shining through.

He didn’t want to leave Steve alone but the man was sleeping soundly, looking more peaceful and calm than he had ever seen him and with one more heavy look, Danny turned around.

He needed to go home, have a shower and change. Maybe get a few hours of sleep as well if he was going to be of any use to Steve when the man woke up.

Before he left he briefed Kono on what the doctor had said and asked her to arrange for someone to keep an eye on the room.

Hesse was still out there and while Danny hoped that the man had more sense than to try to come after Steve again, he couldn’t know for sure. And while Steve was passed out, someone else needed to do some watching over him.

And maybe, Danny thought, Steve needed someone permanently watching over him because it couldn’t be normal for anyone to always hurl himself into danger without a care in the world

Danny sighed; he wondered what he had done wrong in a previous life to be saddled with Steve McGarrett’s protection duty but now that duty called, he would rise to the occasion.

He would make sure that Steve stayed alive and well even if it meant that he would have to go up against Steve himself. If the man couldn’t be trusted to look after himself then someone else was going to have to do it for him.

And from the looks of things, the only one around to take on that challenge was him.

He sighed again; clearly, he must have been horrible in his past life.

##

Steve’s rise to consciousness was slow. Normally when he woke up he was always almost instantly alert even if later on he decided to roll over and nap for a little bit longer. He didn’t know how to linger in between sleep and awareness like he had seen some people do but now, he got a taste for it.

And he didn’t like it.

He fought the fog that was still trying to drag him under and when his eyes fluttered open, he closed them quickly because the light was blinding. He tried again, and this time, since he was prepared for it, he managed to fully open his eyes.

 

The white walls weren’t familiar but he didn’t need to know the room to know that he was in a hospital.

“So sleeping beauty is finally awake, “a familiar voice teased from close by and with an eye roll, Steve turned his head to look at Danny who was slouched in a chair.

It was good to see his partner and after quickly scanning the man for any injuries he allowed himself to let out a breath he hadn’t been aware that he had been holding. Danny looked tired; there were dark circles underneath his eyes but other than that he seemed to be fine.

“I’ll go get the doc, “Danny rose and he returned a few minutes later with the doctor.

She listed his injuries and what he had to do to get well and Steve took it all in stride. He nodded where it appropriate even though he had no intention of taking any of the painkillers. He would take the antibiotics because despite despising pills he knew better than to mess with something like that.

Infections weren’t pretty especially not with wounds like he had sustained.

He was relieved to hear that everything seemed to be quite minor and he scoffed at being told that he would experience dizziness and disorientation for some time while his head injury healed.

He would deal with it; it wasn’t going to keep him from doing his job.

He wanted to rush out of the hospital and charge after Hess but despite his sometimes-rash tactics he knew when to be patient.

He might not want to admit to being in less than peak physical condition but the fact remained that he was currently no match for the terrorist. He needed time to heal, to gather intel and then would come at Hesse from an angle the man wouldn’t expect.

He was known for leaping, for jumping into situations head first but getting Hesse was probably now the most important thing he would do in his life because the man wasn’t going to enjoy his life while his father was dead.

Wasn’t there a saying that revenge was best served cold?

So even though it was going to kill him to use patience that was exactly what he was going to do.

But that didn’t mean that he was going to stay in this hospital bed while he could be at work chasing after other criminals to keep his island safe.

“There’s no need to keep me for further observation, “Steve said firmly, eyes locking with the doctor’s, “If I was going to experience any sort of side effects from my head trauma it would’ve happened by now so I might just as well go back to work.”

The doctor opened her mouth to argue but strangely it was Danny who actually came to his defence.

“How about a compromise, “the blond man said slowly and Steve narrowed his eyes because he knew that look. It meant that Danny was up to something that Steve probably wasn’t going to like.

“If you insist on leaving against the doctor’s orders then I’ll only let you if you agree to go home and rest.”

Steve opened his mouth but Danny didn’t let him speak, “You’re not cleared for duty for another week to recover so don’t imagine that you’re going to work anytime before that.”

“But…”

“No, “Danny said firmly, “but I’m willing to allow you to leave early if you promise me to go home.”

Steve closed his mouth because when had it been decided that Danny was going to be in charge of him?

“I cannot release you…”the doctor started to say but Steve sighed, interrupting her, “I’ll sign anything you want me to sign that I am leaving against medical advise. But rest assured, one way or the other, I’m walking out of here today.”

The doctor looked at him and something in his face must have told her that he was serious so her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Alright, “she said slowly, “I will leave the papers at the nurse’s desk and Mr. Williams, “She turned around to face Danny “He’ll be in your care. So please make sure that he takes the pills and does the exercises just as we discussed.”

Danny nodded sagely and for a moment Steve wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to stay in the hospital because something told him that Danny was going to be hard to live with.

The woman left and Danny’s blue eyes stared back at him.

“I’ll stay with you for the duration, “he said and Steve shook his head.

“Look, I appreciate it, “he replied, “But I can take care of myself.”

Danny mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like only if you’re delusional but when Steve narrowed his eyes Danny simply smiled at him, the picture of innocence.

“Besides, “Danny said with finality that he often used on Grace when he wasn’t going to tolerate any more talking back, “Didn’t you promise my daughter to spend some time on the beach? Tomorrow’s Saturday so you’ll be busy doing that very thing.”

“Sure, “Steve said, thinking that a swim would do him good but a quick pat on the head had him focusing again on Danny who was now close enough that he could see the man nostril’s flare.

“If you’re thinking about going into the water you better stop it now because I won’t mind tying you up. You are going to rest and you are going to take it easy and if you don’t do as you’re told, I will take drastic measures. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

##

He now fully understood why Grace at times wore this painful yet fond expression on her face because that was exactly how he felt right this moment.

Contrary to popular belief, a few injuries weren’t going to incapacitate him and Danny hovering around, refusing to leave the room while he dressed just really pissed him off.

It wasn’t done to irritate him though; he knew that Danny was trying to look out for him but if this was any indication on how he was going to act over the coming days then Steve honestly wasn’t so sure if either one of them was going to survive it.

Could he be charged with murder if Danny aggravated him into it?

He snorted, slowly bending to get into his shoes. Someone must have stopped off at his house to get him some clean clothes and he really appreciated that.

“Let’s go, “he straightened up when he was done and he was met with blue eyes staring at him.

Had Danny just been staring at his ass?

Steve blinked, shaking his head before pushing that thought away. Of course Danny hadn’t been staring at his ass because why would he?

He carefully took a few steps and when a hand came out to steady him he growled but he didn’t push it away. His balance was precarious at the moment, due to his right leg and his side and maybe even due to his head injury.

The headache he was busy trying to ignore seemed to get stronger with every passing second and he thought it might have something to do with the fact that until recently they had probably been giving him something for the pain.

When they reached the nurse’s station, he signed the appropriate paper and then he quickly shoved Danny towards the elevator.

“Let’s go before the guy with the wheelchair shows up, “ he said because he would rather jump out the window than be carted around in that.

Danny rolled his eyes but he didn’t comment.

##

The drive was uneventful which was probably due to the fact that Steve barely managed to keep his eyes open. For some reason his body seemed to be inclined to nap and he didn’t like it one bit.

When they arrived at his home he stared at the driveway wondering what was wrong with the picture that presented itself. He tilted his head sideways, curious eyes looking out and it took him a few moments to understand that what was wrong with what he was seeing was that his car wasn’t there.

He rolled his eyes at himself, torn between being amused and annoyed. Of course his car wasn’t going to be there because it was totalled.

The door stood open though and when he opened his mouth to mention it, Chin appeared from the inside.

“How you’re doing, brah?” he asked in his usual easygoing voice and Steve smiled a little bit, liking the familiarity of things.

“I would be doing better if Danny here hadn’t decided that I can’t take care of myself. “Steve grumbled, sending what was supposed to be a vicious glare at his partner but it fell completely flat.

Danny raised an eyebrow at him and proceeded to ignore him. When the man started to come towards him, obviously wanting to give him a helping hand, Steve immediately shook his head, wobbling towards the entrance door on his own.

It hurt to put much pressure on his right leg and he wasn’t all that steady to begin with but he wasn’t going to depend on anyone else to get around. He could do this own his own and he needed to do it too!

Chin held the door open for him and Steve quietly let out a sigh of relief when he was inside, making his way towards the sofa but Danny appeared out of nowhere from behind steering him towards his bedroom.

“Hey, “Steve protested but Danny didn’t let go.

Of course, despite his injuries, Steve could’ve shaken Danny off if he had wanted to. Hell, he would’ve probably even been able to injure the man even though technically he was at a disadvantage.

Instead he did nothing, allowing himself to be more or less dragged, masquerading as being guided, towards his bedroom.

“You look beat, “Danny said, only letting go of his arm once Steve was sitting on the bed.

The glare that Steve sent towards his partner wasn’t tempered with amusement this time but Danny still seemed to be unfazed by it.

Chin appeared behind Danny, looking into the room while casually leaning against the doorway.

“I…”Steve was about to protest but Danny shook his head.

“There’s no need to pretend here “He said with his best, you are so dumb but please, for once, listen to reason voice. “You’re with friends and it’s obvious that you’re tired.”

Steve tried to open his mouth again to protest but this time Chin actually spoke before he got the chance. “Danny is right, brah. You woke up from surgery this morning. You’re injured. There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy.”

Steve pursed his lips, wanting to say that any sign of weakness was usually wrong but he could see that that kind of argument wasn’t going to get him anywhere and if he was honest, he could do with a little shut eye right about now.

He glared though, shifting on the bed, rolling onto his back and vowing to find a way to get the smug look off Danny’s face because that really was uncalled for.

Chin’s phone rang and after a few short grunts and a few words, the man hung up.

“We’ve got a new case, “he said and Danny sighed.

“Will you be ok if I leave you alone for a few hours?” he asked and Steve reached behind him, throwing a pillow at the blond man that he barely managed to avoid.

“Go, “Steve insisted, “I’ll be fine.”

8

Light flooded the room and Steve’s eyes slowly fluttered open. From the way the light illuminated the room he figured it must be late afternoon, which meant that he had slept a few hours way.

He moved, trying to sit up when his entire body erupted in pain.

He let out a groan, closing his eyes again, fighting to keep his breathing steady.

Damn, he thought, maybe he should’ve listened to reason and taken a few of those painkillers after all.

His mind was clear though; no sign of fuzziness or any confusion and he counted that as a victory.

Aches and pains he could deal with; he didn’t want to go back to feeling as disoriented and as confused as he had felt before because he was no good to anyone in that kind of state.

He rolled over onto his good side, slowly aligning his legs so that he could more or less roll out of bed.

Someone else would’ve probably stayed in bed but Steve never did all too well when he was inactive.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t enjoy sleeping in once in a while and there were times, usually on a rainy day, when sitting on the sofa with a good game or maybe even a book sounded appealing.

However most of the times he preferred to do things because sitting still wasn’t something that came naturally to him.

He had just managed to sit up when his eyes fell onto the nightstand where someone had left a bottle of water and some pills.

Steve narrowed his eyes, his fingers were twitching from wanting to send the pills hurtling into a corner but in the end, he scooped them up and took them.

Maybe if he took them once it would be alright. He had after all just left the hospital that morning so maybe for one day ignoring his usual policy about not wanting to depend on chemicals was acceptable.

Danny would know though that he had given in, even if he replaced the pills he had laid out because he wouldn’t put it past the man to go and count the remaining pills left.

Steve slowly made his way out of the room towards the sofa and he had just managed to sit down when there was a loud knock on his door.

He wanted to ignore it but when moments later the door opened, he was standing, stance ready in a heartbeat.

He only relaxed when the familiar figurer of his sister came into view.

“Mer, “he said slowly, maybe a little bit breathlessly, “What are you doing here?”

She rolled her eyes at him, dumping a small bag onto the floor.

“What do you think I’m doing here?” she asked with a mocking tone, “I get a phone call that my brother has gone missing and when I’m about to board a plane Kono texts me that you’ve been admitted to the hospital and you’re seriously wondering why I’m here?”

Maybe if she put it like that he shouldn’t have wondered but frankly having someone worry about him was new.

And it wasn’t that he didn’t love his sister or that she didn’t love him but honestly they had barely seen each other over the last few years and he hadn’t expected her to come and check up on him.

Something like that must’ve shown on his face because his sister uneasily shifted her feet with her head hanging low before she took a few careful steps towards him.

There was a defiant look in her eyes when she was ready to face him again and Steve waited for her to tell him what was on her mind. Besides, if Mer had something to say no one could stop her, she was fierce that way.

“I know that we haven’t been close but you’re the only family I’ve got left and considering your habit to always get into trouble, I kind of wanted to see if we could maybe fix that.”

“Fix me getting into trouble?” Steve played dumb to rile her even though he had perfectly understood what she had meant.

He felt the same but considering that he wasn’t so good with expressing his emotions he hadn’t thought about actually coming out and saying it.

“No, you idiot, “She sniped back but there was a smile on her face, showing him that she wasn’t really angry.

“Alright then, “Steve slowly nodded, slowly sinking down onto the sofa.

“You look beat, “she observed and Steve only grunted because he felt beat even though he had almost slept the whole day away.

The pain meds were kicking in though and he could feel himself drifting off. He liked the fact that his entire body was heading towards numb but he didn’t much like the fact that he found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

He sighed, shifting sideways until he was lying on his left side, his head on a cushy pillow.

He could hear Mary rummaging around the house, occasionally talking to him but he couldn’t make out any concrete words.

Eventually he fell asleep again.

##

“Now don’t panic, she’s fine but someone tried to run your sister off the road.”

Steve’s eyes snapped open so quickly that he was afraid he had given himself some sort of whiplash.

“What?” he shouted, going from zero to a hundred in under a second, scrambling to get off the sofa.

“She’s fine, “Danny repeated and even though Steve tried to push him off, he found himself shoved back down.

“Now, just stay put for a moment, let me explain…”

Steve didn’t want to hear it but he forced himself to back off.

He nodded to Danny to show him that he understood and when Danny finally moved away, Steve moved to sit up.

“What happened?” he asked and Danny slowly started talking. The guy looked tired and when he rubbed his face Steve noticed the stubble, an indication that he hadn’t had time to shave yet.

“We got you a rental car and when Kono called to let you know, Mary answered. She went to get the car for you and then on the way back someone tried to run her off the road.”

“She isn’t hurt?” Steve asked again, having to make sure.

Danny nodded again, “She got a gash on the head so she’s in the ER now but nothing else happened. She’s got some driving skills, that’s for sure though.”

Steve nodded because he knew that Mary was a good driver. It then slowly sunk it.

Someone had tried to kill his sister. Someone had tried to kill her because the car was registered in his name and that person had thought she was him.

“I need to…” Steve tried to rise and Danny immediately went on the defensive but their fight didn’t happen because at that moment the door opened and the Governor strode in.

“For someone who runs my task force you sure as hell shouldn’t be leaving your front door open.” She observed and Steve glared at Danny for good measure.

“Governor, “Steve greeted her, trying to rise but she motioned him to stay put.

“Now, “she slowly said, “The good news is that your sister is fine.”

Steve nodded because yes, Danny had told him that.

The hand squeezing his heart though seemed to ignore that because he still felt as if he was about to vomit.

In his line of work, death was a constant and something that was always on his mind, one way or the other.

Somehow though he had never thought that something could happen this sister. She was younger than he was and that automatically meant that she was supposed to live longer than him.

Of course that kind of thinking was flawed in so many ways that he didn’t even want to point out all the problems with it but up until this very moment he hadn’t realized that this was how he felt.

And now that the knowledge had been shoved home with a sledgehammer he wanted to wrap his sister up in cotton and stuff her into the closet to keep her safe.

She wasn’t going to allow him to do that though because she was like him. She wouldn’t back down and she most certainly wasn’t going to run from a problem and with a stubborn look on his face, Steve realized that the only way to keep Mary safe was to fix this problem once and for all.

“I can’t have terrorists running around my island, taking shots my people, “the Governor continued. “And right now you’re in no condition to go after Hesse and his associates.”

Steve shook his head because injuries or no injuries he wasn’t going to allow anyone to threaten his family.

“So Steve, listen carefully, “she continued and for a moment Steve had a flashback to his mother, about to tell him something that he wasn’t going to like but that he was going to do anyway. “I want you off this island so that you’re no longer a target. You’re going to rest, take a holiday and when you come back you can go after this bastard with my full blessing.”

“He might not hang around…”Danny pointed out before Steve could and the Governor nodded.

“I’m aware of that.” She said, “At the moment though Steve is a target and frankly that isn’t something that I’m willing to accept. If Hesse is still here when Steve comes back, fine. If he’s gone then at least we won’t have to worry about him getting shot on the way to work.”

Steve wanted to object, he didn’t need to be coddled but the woman just ploughed on, ignoring him completely.

“You’re of no good to me injured or dead.” And then she dropped the bomb, “Mr. William’s mother has a birthday coming up and I’ve arranged for two first class tickets for both of you to go and see her.”

Steve blinked while Danny’s mouth hung open. His partner looked torn between protesting and thanking her.

And why hadn’t Danny told him that his mother’s birthday was coming up? He would’ve given him leave to go home! He wasn’t that horrible a boss!

“And that’s an order McGarrett and I expect you to follow it. Enjoy New Jersey. We’ll let you know when you can come back.”

And after that she strolled out of the room, leaving both men behind with gaping mouths.

##

The flight was uneventful and frankly that creeped Danny out.

Steve had been quiet, stoic even and he hadn’t even put up much of a fight after the Governor had practically kicked him off his island.

It was for his own good, Danny had agreed wholeheartedly but it was still unlike Steve to simply go with the flow.

Not that he tended to be as vocal about things like Danny did, that was his speciality after all, but Steve usually had no problems with voicing his opinion and / or quietly getting his way.

Maybe the word for it was passive aggressive even though passive wasn’t something that Steve would ever associate with his partner.

Maybe Steve had wanted to go; maybe he had seen the logic behind it and frankly that scared Danny too because for all his claims that Danny was the hothead in their partnership, Steve sure as hell managed to charge into situation in a good imitation of someone not thinking clearly.

Because obviously no one who thought clearly would be running towards danger, courting it even and yet Steve did it every day.

During their flight, and the brief stop over in Los Angeles, Danny had often found himself opening his mouth to ask what the fuck was wrong with him but every time he quickly shut his mouth.

Poking sleeping tigers didn’t seem like a good idea and did it really matter as long as Steve was safe and out of harm’s way?

When they finally landed in Newark Danny couldn’t suppress his glee. His entire body was vibrating with energy and happiness to finally be home again.

He even smiled at the grey sky, looking as if it was going to dish out an obscene amount of snow at any moment because it was winter and for once the weather actually acted like it should.

He spent a few seconds glaring at the poster of a pineapple advertising a new drink and when Steve tried to shuffle his way into the driver’s seat, Danny grabbed his arm and more or less shoved him into the passenger seat.

“If you think you’re driving you’ve got to have your head examined!”

“Hey, “Steve sounded affronted, “I’m a good driver!”

Danny only grunted at that statement, taking the car out of the parking lot.

The streets had been treated against the ice on the roads but here and there he could still feel the car veering off and he was glad that he was driving because Steve might have thought it funny to try ice-skating with a car.

Seriously, he was at the stage where he wouldn’t put it past him to find that funny.

“I’ve driven in cold weather before, “Steve said out of nowhere a few minutes later and Danny blinked, opening his mouth to ask, “When…where…? Before he stopped himself.

Of course Steve would’ve driven in snow before considering that he was part of a special Ops team, being deployed all over the world.

However that didn’t mean that he knew how to drive like a sane person among other sane people.

When he said so much Steve actually pouted at him and for a moment there Danny almost lost control of the car.

Because Steve pouting was just too…cute wasn’t the right word for it but for some reason it got stuck in his head.

He faintly blushed, keeping his eyes straight ahead as if his life depended at it when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Steve’s hand making its way toward the radio he slapped it away.

“Your taste in music is horrible. I refused to be subjected to it. Especially when I am driving.”

“My taste isn’t horrible, “Steve protested, “You just don’t know what is good.”

That set off yet another argument about the excellent artist that had come out of New Jersey with Steve countering everything he said and Danny almost missed the turn off into his parent’s driveway because he was too busy shouting at Steve.

Danny parked the car and he only then noticed that Steve seemed slightly tense. It might not be obvious to other people but Danny had gotten to know his partner rather well to notice the signs.

There was the faint tick around his eyes, the stiff posture and the slight movement of his fingers; not quite a tapping and slow enough that most would overlook it but it practically screamed tension at Danny.

“You aren’t nervous about meeting my parents, are you?”

Steve simply shrugged and folded himself out of the car.

“You are!” Danny exclaimed, hurrying out of the car and gently herding Steve towards the door before the idiot could try to grab his duffle bag.

“That’s so…”and for the second time in an hour the word cute popped into his head and Danny immediately went still.

“Are you going to knock or do you want us to freeze solid first?” Steve asked casually but after rolling his eyes at the man, Danny rung the bell.

He had a key to his parents’ house but it would be all kinds of impolite if he simply let himself in.

Their departure had been so quick and frankly Danny had liked it that way because it had given Steve less opportunities to plot escape plans, that he hadn’t even managed to call ahead and tell his folks that he was on the way.

“Danny!” The door opened, revealing a blonde, older woman and before Danny could say more than Mom, she was hugging him, pulling him into the house.

“Why didn’t you call?” she admonished him, “I would’ve come and picked you up. And who’s this?”

His whole family liked to talk and his mother was a master in talking a mile a minute and switching topics like there was no tomorrow.

He had fond memories of the two of them, making a game out of it, talking as fast as they could and switching topics and the first one to slip up would loose.

“This is Steve McGarrett, my partner, “Danny introduced his tall partner and Steve smiled, holding out his hand while his mother ignored it and pulled him down into another hug.

“Any man keeping my son safe is welcome in my home…now close the door before you let any more cold air in…”

Steve politely shut the door, raising an eyebrow at Danny as if he was daring him to reveal that 9 out of 10 times it was actually Steve who got Danny into dangerous situations.

But he knew that regardless of how much he complained about, Steve would always have his back so he didn’t rise to the bait.

And this reminded him that he still owed Steve an apology.

He shuffled his feet, slowly walking after his mother. He wasn’t good at apologies; Rachel had practically told him that every time he had tried to say sorry, she had wanted to kill him all over again so he was really tempted to just let it slide.

But he couldn’t do that. Steve would never admit to having hurt feelings and it was important to him that his partner knew without a doubt that Danny trusted him, not only with his own life but with what was most precious in his life: Grace.

And the next time he felt annoyed, he hoped that his brain caught up with his mouth before he babbled stupid, untrue things all over again.

“Would you boys like something to eat?”

“Where’s Dad?”

“Oh, he had to run a few errands, “she winked at him, smiling, “But I know he is out trying to get a birthday present for me.”

“Isn’t that leaving it until the last minute?” Danny observed but instead of maybe being angry at her husband, his mother’s smile simply widened, “Oh, he’s been doing that since I’ve met him. And it’s the thought that counts anyway.”

That was true but how many people actually practice it?

It was good to know that there were still marriages out there that were strong after many years because after the break up with Rachel, Danny honestly wasn’t so sure if he believed in ever after anymore.

 

“So, would you like something to eat?” she offered again and this time Steve actually said something, “I could go for a sandwich, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

“Of course it isn’t, “his mother mock glared at Steve who took it in stride, “I asked, didn’t I?” and after a moment, “You don’t look so good. Why don’t you head upstairs, take a quick shower and by the time you’re done, I’ll have your sandwich done.”

“Uhm, Mom, “Danny hedged, “I was going to go down the road to the motel. It’s still there, isn’t it?”

This didn’t get him a mock glare but a hard slap over the head followed by a raised finger. “Now, I know I didn’t raise an idiot but sometimes, I swear, you try your best to prove me wrong.”

“Mrs. Williams, “Steve interrupted, torn between smiling at Danny getting cuffed over the head and feeling embarrassed, “I don’t want to impose on you…”

But Steve didn’t get any further than that before he took received a swat over the head. That his mother had to get on her toes to reach the top of Steve’s head didn’t matter because this woman had skills.

“Now, I don’t want to hear any more nonsense.” She demanded, “Danny’s old bedroom got turned into a guest room and we put a double bed in there. I’m sure it will be big enough for you boys and if your friend is shy, then you can always take the sofa while he takes the bed.”

“Mom!” Danny shouted in outrage, he wasn’t so sure why but his face flushed and he felt the need to protest.

Steve simply seemed to blink before deciding that staying silent was the way to go.

“I wouldn’t mind a shower, “Steve finally slowly said, moving a little bit stiffly that brought it home again that his friend was still injured.

“I’ll bring up our bags.”

“I can…”Steve tried to object but Danny caught him off, “First, you are a guest. And second, weren’t you present when the doctor explained that you shouldn’t exert yourself?”

That got him a glare, some narrowed eyes but with as much dignity as he could muster, Steve excused himself.

Danny’s mother shouted after him, “The bathroom is upstairs, first door to the right. And clean towels are in the cupboard.”

9

Once Steve was gone, Danny headed outside the make good on his promise because if he didn’t bring the bags in ASAP, Steve would find a way, probably by crawling out the window and down the pipes, to bring them inside himself.

He took a moment to look around; his old room didn’t look much like his room any more. Even the faded paint on the wall was gone, replaced by soft beige.

The double bed was new but his old nightstand was still there and so was the cupboard. It made sense for his parents to remodel his room because there really was no point in keeping it the way he had left it.

Having a guest room big enough for two was more important but he still couldn’t shake the strange feeling at seeing a part of his past erased.

He wasn’t mad, he wasn’t sad, but he still felt slightly off by it.

He shrugged it off, putting Steve’s duffle on the bed so that the idiot didn’t have to bend to retrieve clean clothes and then he headed on downstairs.

His mother was already in the kitchen, cutting up some bacon and getting ready to fry it.

Her hot bacon and egg sandwiches were her way of providing comfort food and somehow she had taken one look at Steve and decided that he needed some coddling.

“So what happened to your partner?” she asked casually and if Danny hadn’t been so distracted by the good food, he would’ve noticed that his mother was a bit too casual about it.

As if she was warming up to something…

“Some crazy bad guy came after him. He’ll be fine but he got banged up along the way.” He simply said.

There was no point in going into any details, like telling his mother that the bag guy was still out there, that he had murdered Steve’s father and then tried to kill Steve again and nearly killed his sister.

That Danny had ended up getting kidnapped alongside Steve and that they had been shooed of the island for their own safety, well, mostly Steve’s safety but the point remained that his mother didn’t need to know all that.

“You two fight a lot?”

Danny shrugged, stealing a bit of bacon while she slapped his fingers.

He smiled, nodding, “Sure, he’s a pain in the ass. Thinks that he can just leap into danger without ever getting hurt.”

And after a moment, “He drives me crazy. He constantly does something insane and then he turns around and does something nice and well, “ Danny stumbled, lost for words, “he’s annoying.”

His mother chuckled while she drained the bacon on a paper towel before getting the bread ready.

“You want to know how I knew that you were in love with Rachel?”

Danny had to blink because how had they arrived at this topic?

Granted, his ex and him had reached some sort of truce but thinking about her still hurt at times and he didn’t think he was ready to casually talk about her.

“You were constantly arguing.” She said.

“OK.”

“And when you fancied that guy from your school. What was his name?”

“Josh. “Danny replied before his brain caught up with him and his eyes widened.

“Mom!”

“What?” she smiled sweetly at him, “You’re my son. Don’t you think I wouldn’t notice that you like men just as much as women?”

“There weren’t any men in my life!” Danny protested while his mother rolled her eyes at him.

“There weren’t that many women either.”

“Mom!”

There were things that simply weren’t discussed with a parent, let alone with his mother. And his love life clearly was off limits.

Just like he happily pretended that his parents didn’t have sex and that he had been hatched because no, he didn’t want to go there.

“I’m not blind, “she ignored his outrage, calmly cracking the eggs into the pan. “And neither your father or I care either way.”

Danny felt the need to shout Mom again but since he had already done that twice, he settled for biting his lip instead.

“So when you started to pick fights with Josh, coming home with scrapes all over your face while your eyes smiled, I knew that you liked the guy.”

“You make me sound like some girl in pigtails who’s mean to the guy she likes.”

“If the shoe fits.”

“Mother!”

“Well, I’m just saying, that’s how I knew when you were in love.”

Danny wanted to bury his head in his face, run screaming from the house but some strange force kept him rooted to the spot.

“And you’ve told me how many times that Steve annoys you, pushes your buttons?”

Danny opened his mouth but nothing happened.

“If you don’t talk about Gracie and Mr. Hoppy, you talk about your partner and how he slowly drives you insane and…”

“Stop, “he said quietly and maybe it was the tone that got his mother to put the eggs aside and finally look at him.

She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

“You’re falling for him. The signs are all there.”

“I’m not…”Danny tried to protest, he wanted her to be wrong but somehow he couldn’t find it with him because she was right.

He hadn’t noticed it before but having it laid bare like that, he had to admit that she had read the signs right.

He liked Steve. Oh he didn’t just like him, he was on his way to falling in love with the mad man and nothing could be more horrible than that.

“He’s straight.”

“Most people think that you’re straight too.”

“He was in the military. They don’t really embrace two men…”

“Danny…”His mother interrupted him, “I can’t tell you if he feels the same way. I don’t know him.”

Danny nodded, knowing that this was true.

“But I don’t think he would put with your nagging unless he does at least like you.”

“Mom!” Danny was back to being outraged, “I don’t nag!”

“Complain then?” she offered sweetly, “or maybe strong willed?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Danny knew when he had lost so he let it go.

“I don’t think…I don’t know…”Danny didn’t know what he wanted to say.

He felt confused. A few moments ago, Steve had been nothing more but his annoying partner and now that everything had slotted into place, it was kind of hard to accept that his stupid heart had decided to fall in love without consulting him first.

“I can’t tell you what to do, “his mother calmly said, “I would like to tell you to go for it but you’re right, Steve might not feel the same way.”

She patted his cheek like she had done a million times when he had been younger, “All I can tell you is that there is always hope. Don’t forget that.”

Danny nodded, taking the plate his mother offered him and smiled.

Theoretically she was right; there was always hope.

 

But if Steve swung both ways then surely he would’ve noticed by now. And besides, didn’t he have an on and off thing with Catherine?

And even if Steve at one point in his life might have been interested in experimenting, spending a huge part of his life in the military had surely shoved him so far back down into the closet that he might just as well be straight.

No, Danny swallowed hard, he better resign himself to friendship, and friendship only.

If it were only this easy!

A part of him wished that his mother hadn’t opened his eyes because then his life surely had been easier.

But then again, having this warm feeling inside his chest, thinking about Steve and his crazy smile, well that might make him sound like a teenage girl with a crush but it also brightened his day.

##

Steve showered carefully, mindful of the water resistant cover over his stitches. It wouldn’t survive jumping into the ocean or pointing the showerhead directly onto it but it would manage getting a little bit wet.

He wrapped himself into one of the fluffy towels and when he entered the guest room, formerly known as Danny’s room, he already found his duffle bag on the bed.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. Of course the blond man would put the bag on the bed to avoid that Steve risked bending, as if a little movement would shatter him and do him in.

He had survived worse injuries and he had done more while having them so this insistent double-checking that he didn’t overdo things was mildly annoying.

And somewhat strangely endearing but he wasn’t ready to go there yet.

He dressed, sitting down on his bed. He didn’t bother double checking what time it would be at home because there was no doubt in his mind that Chin would take the call.

“Any news?” he didn’t bother with any greeting because both men would know that his heart wasn’t really in it.

Chin chuckled into the phone before replying, “We’ve got a few leads but nothing has panned out yet.”

“Uhm…”Steve hummed into the phone. “Have you checked…” but he didn’t get to finish because Chin interrupted him, “We’ve got it covered, boss. Don’t worry and let us do our job.”

Steve was torn; he knew he had an excellent team and that Chin could be just as relentless as he was and right now everyone was highly motivated to get to Hesse and to finally put an end to it all.

However, he had a hard time trusting anyone to do this right if he wasn’t there and that had probably more to do with his own need to take care of his father’s killer than with anything else.

Chin must’ve read something in the short silence that got transmitted over the phone because he calmly added, “If we need you, you know that I will call.”

“Thanks, and…”

“Don’t worry, “the amusement in Chin’s voice transmitted through the call but so did the steel in his voice, “We’ll take care of it.”

Steve sighed and hung up.

He didn’t like having to let others take care of what he considered to be his mess but it didn’t change the fact that right now he wasn’t on the top of his game. Oh he could still go after Hesse in a heartbeat but unless he was willing to go underground and do it alone, he had no choice but to do what he had been ordered to do: recuperate.

He shoved the phone into his cargo pants, about to head down when Danny showed up with a plate full off goodness.

His stomach rumbled and they both dug in.

##

Danny was oddly quiet through the remaining hours but the William’s family made up for his partner’s strange silence.

“Is my brother coming?” Danny asked at some point during dinner and his mother answered, “No, he couldn’t make it.”

There was mock outrage and name calling that followed and Steve couldn’t help but smile because unless they had been ordered to get off the island, Danny himself would be here. But that didn’t change the fact that now he was and he seemed to be perfectly savouring the fact that he could defend his mother from his brother.

Even though his mother didn’t seem mad at all.

He let their voices wash over him, only occasionally contributing to the conversation and by the time he retired; he was actually ready for some sleep.

He undressed quickly, crawling into bed when he caught Danny staring at him; his mouth was hanging slightly open and looking like some fish out of water.

“What?” Steve slightly snapped because he was tired and if Danny had something to say then he better got to it before he fell asleep.

“Uhm…nothing…”Danny said and Steve sighed, shifting until he was comfortable.

Once Danny was in the bed beside him, the man turned over, his blue eyes were focused on him.

“You’re not the least bit uncomfortable with sharing a bed with me?”

“Why would I be?” Steve thought that was the end of the topic, closing his eyes but apparently Danny had more questions.

“Well,” he hedged, “it isn’t as if you regularly sleep in the same bed with another guy and I know that…”

“So god help me if you say that the military frowns on same sex relationships, I will throw you out of the bed.” Steve threatened because he had heard that statement far too often.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t true even though it also depended on the people you served with.

And no, it hadn’t been a problem for Steve before because he liked women just fine.

“Look, “he said slowly, voice already dropping because he was partly falling asleep, “I’ve shared a bed with a man or two before. Sometimes quarters are tight or you need to huddle for warmth and I honestly am not going to have an issue. And besides, two more people could squeeze in between us and if you are that terrified that I will roll over and cuddle you to death then you could always put some pillows between us. You know, like some sort of defensive line.”

And having said that, he rolled onto his good side, which thankfully meant that his back was turned to his partner and then he went to sleep.

Danny and his issues could wait.

 

New horizons

10

The day of Danny’s mother’s birthday started out busy and even though Steve wasn’t a family member he got roped into making a few calls, ensuring that everyone knew where to be and at what time.

Danny’s mother had been kind enough to even draw him a map because someone had asked him for directions and frankly he hadn’t quite known how to answer that.

Of course he had googled the area before. Making sure that he knew the ins and outs of the house and the area, just in case they needed to make a run for it because experience had taught him that there was no such thing as being over prepared.

His recon though hadn’t included the names of local restaurants because he hadn’t deemed that bit necessary.

The actual birthday party was a big affair and the amount of people was staggering.

Danny had vanished into the masses and Steve had secured a quiet corner early on, making sure that he had good access to the buffet but also an excellent fall back position just in case someone got too nosy.

He wasn’t shy but there was only so many times he could explain what he did and who he was before he wanted to bash his head in. And for some reason people were curious about him.

 

Hadn’t Danny brought other people home before? Surely the man couldn’t have been that friendless that his appearance warranted that much attention.

His blue eyes widened when he caught a particular busty blonde heading his way. Mandy, Candy…something ending with an y and despite not wanting to offend anyone that Danny might call family, he really didn’t want to be around when she cornered him again.

He might not have great interpersonal skills, as per Danny, but he knew better than to tell a woman head on that he wasn’t interested because that would result in her being offended, storming off and then someone else would take offense and he would have to start hitting someone.

And yes, he had been there and he didn’t want to cause any disruption on this special day.

So he quickly abandoned his plate, still half full and more or less ran, or strategically retreated, into a hallway. At the end of it, there was an exit that led out into the alley and of course in one of his earlier quick recons of the place, he had noticed it and mapped it out.

He would head out there, get some fresh air and eventually head back to make his excuses. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the party but he felt like a third wheel and frankly, his head had started to hurt again and it might be a good idea to lay down for a little while.

And it took him considerable effort to admit that inside his head, there was no way he would ever repeat that out loud.

But he figured inside his own head it was fine to once in a while admit to a weakness as long as it didn’t become a habit.

He was out the door moments later, quietly closing it behind him because the woman had seemed motivated enough to actually not get the hint and follow him outside.

He leaned against the door, breathing in the cold air, wondering if it would snow again. His jacket was still inside but despite being chilly, right now the cold didn’t bother him all that much.

“Yeah, just like that…” a familiar voice said behind a dumpster and Steve was moving before he could think about what the moans and groans actually meant.

His blue eyes widened and he froze on the spot.

A man was on his knees before Danny, his head bobbing back and forth on the other man’s cock while Danny had one hand fisted in the man’s hair.

His hips were bucking forward while his eyes were partially shut and Steve only managed to see this clearly because the windows above them doused the alley in light.

His mouth hung open and when Danny’s blue eyes opened, locking with his own, Steve was still locked in place.

His eyes darted to Danny’s cock, now falling out of the man’s mouth that gave a startled sound before falling sideways.

“Steve!” Danny shouted, “It’s not what you think…!”

Steve blinked because frankly there was no thought in his mind apart from Danny and Danny’s cock and when he turned to run it wasn’t because he was disgusted or offended, it was because the longer Danny’s thick cock was in view, he couldn’t be trusted to be anywhere near it. Or the man.

The sudden need to shove the man away, to take his place on the ground and to run his own tongue along the thick shaft had been so sudden, so unexpected that for the first time in his life, Steve didn’t stand his ground.

Instead he chose to run.

Or, as he liked to think of it, strategically retreat.

And while he was strategically retreating, he ignored Danny calling his name.

He was still faster than the blond man, even with his injuries and Danny still had to take a moment to tuck himself in.

So he ran, whoops, he retreated, and eventually when he couldn’t ignore his protesting limbs anymore, he sat down on the icy sidewalk.

He looked around, having no clue where he was and no idea how he had gotten there.

He rubbed his chin, wondering what the officer who had trained him would have to say to that.

He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

The cold air hurt his lungs but it also refreshed him.

“There you are!” Danny’s quiet voice startled him but he didn’t move when the man sat down next to him.

For a moment neither one of them said anything until Danny finally broke the silence.

“I know this must’ve come as a shock…but I’ve known Josh all my life and well, it was a one time thing…and…”

“Danny…”

“And please don’t be mad or disgusted because if you are then I’ve got to shout at you until you change your mind and…”

“Danny…” Steve said again and this time the man finally shut up.

“I don’t care who you sleep with.” He simply said and when Danny slightly flinched, eyes looking sad for a moment he didn’t know what to make of it. “Man or woman, I don’t care.”

“OK.”

“Really…”

“Then why did you run as if the devil was after you?”

Because I wanted to go down on my knees and taste your cock…

But Steve didn’t say that out loud because he wasn’t ready yet. He swallowed hard, not wanting to lie but nowhere near ready to speak the truth.

And frankly he had no idea what the truth was.

He liked women; he had for most of his life but there had been one time, when he had been seventeen, when he had experimented with another boy. So he wasn’t totally ignorant when it came to sex between two men but frankly, one time years ago, still didn’t prepare him for suddenly looking at his partner in a new light.

And he wasn’t so sure if he would ever be ready to look at Danny that way. He needed time to process this strange turn of events.

“I was just…”he fumbled for words and he finally settled for, “Surprised. That’s all.”

“So we’re good?” Danny’s small voice made Steve smile. He turned his head, nodding.

“Of course we are.”

Danny returned the smile even though for some reason it didn’t reach his eyes.

##

The next few days flew and before Steve knew it, his local hospital appointment had come due.

He put on his thick coat, thinking wistfully about home and how he missed being able to run around in his T-shirt.

He could see the beauty in snow and cold weather and for a day or so he might actually enjoy it but deep down he preferred the climate of his home.

But there was nothing to be done about it, so he put his hands into his pockets to ward of the cold while he waited outside on the sidewalk.

Half an hour in he finally gave up, dialling a cab.

##

“I’m so sorry…” Danny ambushed Steve the moment he exited the hospital room. “I was chatting with Josh and time flew and by the time I got home you were already gone…”

“It’s fine, “Steve calmly said, testing his steps because his leg felt kind of odd without stitches. He would get used to it quickly for but for now, it still felt odd.

He had gotten all of his stitches removed today and this morning Danny had offered to give him a ride.

And it had been no big deal when the man hadn’t shown up even though Steve would’ve appreciated it he had called him.

“No, it’s not. I said I would take you and then…”

Steve felt annoyance flare up inside him because Danny was acting as if he couldn’t take of himself. He was doing the exercises Danny had shown him and while he was quite back to normal he was nearly there.

He wasn’t some invalid and he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Danny acting this way was pissing him off and it was starting to get to him.

“And I still owe you an apology from before.”

Danny’s logic didn’t always follow his own logic and right now Steve had the suspicion that it might have jumped dimensions.

“What are you talking about?”

He ignored the fact that they were standing in the middle of a busy ER room, entertaining a few bored people nearby because clearly Danny needed to have this conversation now and he knew better than to try and walk away.

Danny would simply follow him and then there would be more shouting and hands throwing and frankly Steve wasn’t in the mood.

“When you lost Grace and I told you that I didn’t trust you, well that was a lie. I do trust you with my life and with Gracie’s and I want you to know that…”Danny so quickly that Steve almost didn’t understand the words but when the man was done, he simply nodded, saying, “OK.”

“OK?” Danny’s voice hitched, climbing higher and higher, “OK? That is all you’ve got to say? OK?”

“What else do you want me to say?” Steve snapped back, his own temper flaring up.

“You don’t believe me…”

“You trust me, that’s fine.” Steve replied, “I trust you too… can we move on now?”

“But…”

“And for the record, I’m a grown man. I can take myself to the hospital. I don’t need anyone to hold my hand and yes, believe it or not, I am also quite capable of calling a cab when I don’t have a car.”

“That’s not the point…”

Steve felt the urge to throw his hands in the air but he resisted.

“I’m done talking about this. We’re fine, everything’s fine. There are no hard feelings here. So all is good.” He spit out in sharp, pointed sentences and when Danny opened his mouth again, obviously about to disagree, Steve simply turned around, and walked away from him.

“Hey, “Danny shouted after him, “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking.”

 

“Shouting’s more like it, “Steve mumbled, “And you’re lucky I’m only walking away and not mopping the floor with you…”

He indulged himself for a moment, thinking about grabbing Danny by the shoulders, shoving him into the nearby wall, wedging a leg in between his thighs, rubbing up against him while kissing him so that he finally stopped talking.

Steve nearly stumbled and when Danny grabbed his arm, saying “The car’s that way.” He only nodded, extracting his hand while following the man.

Maybe he needed to rethink his plan about ignoring the sexual tension between them because if he was feeling it, surely Danny would feel it too?

So did that mean he should be doing something about it?

But what if Danny wasn’t feeling the same way?

Or what if Danny felt the same way but he didn’t want to feel it? What if he didn’t want to like Steve that way and that wasn’t something that Steve liked to think about.

Danny always yelled at him and he always took it in stride because that was their thing, their way of showing that they cared and even though Danny did most of the yelling, Steve had to admit that he usually did most of the baiting.

So it was their thing but silent, mutual agreement.

But what if Danny really felt angry? What if deep down he wasn’t actually enjoying their sparing session?

He didn’t think that he would’ve made that much of a miscalculation but then again, only a few days ago he had found Danny having his cock sucked by another man and that wasn’t something that he had even considered before.

And since Danny clearly was more experienced with that, should he be making a move?

Then again…

His head dashed onto the windshield because that was the only way to shut himself up.

“Hey!” Danny of course complained, “Do you need to be injured this badly that you can’t wait for the bad guys anymore? Do you have to resort to doing it yourself?”

“Whatever…” Steve pulled his head away from the window, rubbing his forehead.

The car came to a stop and when he got out, Danny was on him again.

They were shouting, there was some shoving and frankly Steve wasn’t clear on what anyone had said until they were pulled apart.

“Boys, “Danny’s mother admonished them, “Why don’t you two cool down before talking about this rationally? Like grown men?”

“Sure, “Steve said cordially, sending a smile towards her. “I’ll go for a walk…”

Danny grumbled something that only he understood but Steve wasn’t surprised if a few minutes into his walk, he noticed that Danny was trailing after him.

He sighed; this should annoy him but somehow he found that he couldn’t be angry anymore.

Huh, maybe he burnt off all the anger and he wondered, if the anger was now all gone, what emotion would he be left with?

11

Mindful of Danny tailing him Steve made sure to amble along, giving no indication that he was aware that Danny was behind him.

He knew the other man well enough that it would irritate him if he gave no sign of being aware of him and right now, that felt mighty good.

It might be petty or even childish but he wasn’t beyond enjoying those emotions when the need called for them.

Cooling down he realized that their argument had gotten blown out of proportion. It had probably started small, weeks maybe months ago and the resentment had built and built until it had erupted.

And everyone knew that Danny was the more emotional one between them. So no surprise there.

Still, he couldn’t deny that it always takes two to argue and that in the end, he had been right there with his friend.

The argument itself though had been stupid and if someone were to ask him now what they had actually argued about he would be hard pressed to come up with a good reason.

He frowned; his forehead crinkling as he thought this over and there might have been a faint blush when he realized that this was actually true.

He sighed, slowing down a little bit.

He faked interest in a shopping display while he searched for Danny in the background.

True enough he saw him but what he hadn’t expected was the man standing right next to him, talking to him and from the way they both were leaning against each other, it was obvious that they knew each other very well.

Steve narrowed his eyes, wondering why the man seemed familiar when he flashed back to the moment when he had walked in on Danny getting his cock blown by a strange man.

So clearly that stranger hadn’t been a stranger because there was no way that they had met recently. Their body language clearly showed that they were familiar with each other and for some reason that irritated Steve to no end.

It wasn’t rational, he kept telling himself that. He might not have known that Danny liked men just as much as he liked women but regardless of it, the man was a grown up, not really ugly looking and fit too boot.

Obviously there were people in his past that he had had sex with and probably Rachel hadn’t been his first girlfriend either.

Still, Steve didn’t like it and while he bit his lower lip he decided to walk away. They already had one argument today and considering how irrational he was feeling at the moment, he wasn’t going to risk having another one.

Because this time it would be his fault and honestly, he wouldn’t even be able to answer Danny if the man asked why he was so mad.

Because I don’t like it that you’re talking to someone I don’t know and that you’re intimate with him wasn’t going to go down very well.

And it shouldn’t because Steve had no right to interfere in Danny’s love life, no right at all. And maybe if he repeated that over and over again his thick skull might actually allow it through.

He rubbed his forehead while he started walking again, aware that he now had two men trailing him.

If he couldn’t get himself sorted out this didn’t bode well for their partnership and he was loath to lose Danny. Despite their arguments and different ways of dealing with things they made a good team and even if he ignored that fact, he honestly didn’t want to go back to a life that didn’t have Danny in it.

And that really sounded bad and it brought it home to him that maybe what he was feeling wasn’t all that complicated at all.

Maybe the impossible had happened; maybe Steve McGarrett had finally fallen in love and he hadn’t even realized it.

God help them all.

##

There was only a brief second to react and when the hot wind of the explosion hit him, he was already rolling sideways, protecting his face and body from the blast.

The wind howled over him, his ear were ringing and for a moment he thought that he could feel the hot fingers of the flames licking over his back.

He tensed, bracing himself for he pain that was sure to follow and when nothing came, he slowly started to move, taking inventory of his body while getting back onto his feet.

The blast plus his own defensive roll had carried him sideways and only years of experience in how to fall properly had saved him from probably breaking a few bones.

Sirens were going off in the background but everything he heard was as if it was coming through him through a wall of glass.

 

His ears thankfully had stopped ringing and after he shook his head, he thought that his hearing might have cleared up a bit.

It was common to have a loss of hearing after a loud blast, especially when close to it and he was already moving forward while simultaneously he took stock of his surroundings.

Windows were blown up and his shoes crunched glass as he moved faster. Cars had been moved, some had gotten turned over and there were a few people with injuries on the ground.

Under the nearby rubble there would probably be a few dead bodies but right now, his main concern was with the living.

He had no idea what the building had been before the explosion had shook the ground floor and the flames were already high, licking upwards, trying to tear down anything that was still left.

He doubted that if the firemen could put out the flames that the building would still be structurally intact and if the nearby owners were unlucky they might even end up with problems too.

“Amy, Amy!” A woman ran screaming past him, dashing towards where maybe a few minutes ago the entrance to the burning building had been. “Amy!” she repeated and Steve reached out, snaking an arm around the woman’s waist to stop her from actually running into the building.

“My daughter!” She sobbed while frantically trying to break free from Steve’s grip, “She’s upstairs. We live above the shop…”

“Stay here, “Steve ordered while shoving her behind him, “I’ll get her for you.” That was the only reason why the woman stopped struggling and he could feel her wide eyes on him as he ran towards the nearby convenience store.

No one complained or tried to stop him as he tore up some T-shirt that had been on display, liberating a few water bottles on his way out.

He poured the water over the cloth while shoving the rest of the bottles into his back pockets. He then tied the cloth around his mouth and nose before he jumped through what could’ve been a display window.

“Steve!” he could hear Danny shouting his name and when he didn’t react there were a few choice phrases hurled his way as well but Steve was on a mission and he didn’t have time to argue with Danny about what he was doing.

The building was on fire and by the time the firemen got there, it was quite likely that the girl would be dead. And he would never forgive himself if that happened knowing fully well that he could’ve done something about it.

It didn’t even occur to him that moments earlier he had stopped the mother from running into the shop because he had thought it was madness because apparently the same sort of rules simply didn’t apply to him.

He felt faint whispers of pain as shards of glass cut his hands but he didn’t stop. His coat was protecting him from any other injury and when he was inside, he took a moment to orient himself.

 

It was hard; especially since he had never been here before but in the end it didn’t take him long to locate the main stairwell that led to the tiny apartment upstairs.

Anyone saying that fire had no soul had never been in a burning building. And this wasn’t his first time either and it only took him a few seconds to remember that the flames currently around him weren’t only beautiful to behold but also very deadly.

They were dancing, almost as if they were moving out of their own free will, snaking alone a path only flames could see and the colours they exhibited were always changing, almost mesmerizing if he dared to stare for too long.

In his opinion, like the vast ocean that he loved, fire was a good example that something beautiful could be beneficial and harmful at the same time. Fire had brought human kind out of the darkness of the Stone Age, it had brought them advancement and a way to stay warm during winter.

There were many more advantages but there was no point in listing them. Like water, fire was beautiful and in small doses something that humans needed. In large quantities though their destructive power was unparalleled, truly a force of nature and when the wooden stairs collapsed after he took the last step, he could only snort.

Other men might have panicked now, worrying about their own life and how they could escape what appeared to be certain death but Steve wasn’t that kind of man.

All that was on his mind was to get to the girl and to bring her to safety and that was what he did.

He called out her name, hoping that she could hear him over the roar of the fire and after the fifth call, slowly making his way down the narrow hallway, he could hear sobs and screams coming from the last room up ahead.

He wanted to rush forward but he didn’t dare to because he could feel the heat coming through the floorboards and it was only a matter of time before they would give way, much like the stairs had.

So he moved with caution, breathing in through the wet cloth and when he pushed the door fully open into the little girl’s room, he was startled for a moment when she hurled herself at him, clinging to him as if he was her only chance at living.

“Here, “He pulled her away from him, crouching down on the floor. He had a second strip of cloth tucked into the waistband of his jeans and now he was wetting it with water, pressing it to her mouth and nose, tying it around her small head.

She had fiery read hair and green eyes with a cute array of freckles on the bridge of her nose. She was clutching a stuffed animal that might have been a mouse at some stage but after a lot of use, it wasn’t much more than a lump of obviously well loved cotton.

She sniffed, obviously battling tears but she did as she was told, breathing through the cloth, looking at him with wide and trusting green eyes.

His heart constricted and by the time he picked her up, cradling her in his arms he was even more determined that he was going to got her out of this hellhole alive.

Fire wasn’t going to take this little girl, not if he had anything to say about it.

##

The fireman had to actually physically restrain Danny because he seriously wanted to rush in after Steve. Not to help him but to bash his head in for being the stupidest son of a bitch alive.

The sobbing woman nearby was also hurting his ears because she was wailing and while he could fully understand her tears, he couldn’t afford to allow himself to go there.

If he only thought about Grace being caught in a fire, afraid for her life, he would collapse on the spot and break down because that wasn’t something any parent could entertain without serious consequences.

So yes, a part of him could fully understand why Steve had rushed into the building because by the time the fire trucks had arrived, which by the way had only been a few minutes later, two tops, it had been too late to send anyone into the building.

Anyone sane at least.

All the firemen could do at this stage is to prevent the fire from spreading and save the adjacent shops and homes.

“Danny, stop, “Josh was holding his hand, pulling him back because without being aware of it, he had already taken yet another step towards the building.

“I’ll kill him, “Danny gritted out, his blue eyes narrowed to small pits while he balled his hands into fists. “I’ll kill him…”he kept on mumbling while his eyes kept staring at the burning building.

He wasn’t even aware that his nails were digging bloody holes into his palms or that people were taking great care to walk around him because right now, he looked like a maniac.

His heart though was breaking and up until now he had always thought that this was just some sort of phrase that writers liked to use because they couldn’t come up with something else to describe impossible heartache.

But his poor organ was beating so fast in his chest that he thought that at any moment it would achieve lift off while at the same time it felt as if someone was slowly ripping it apart, tearing it to pieces while it was still valiantly trying to beat.

“Amy!” the distraught mother screamed again and this time someone had to actually go and sit on her because she refused to be restrained. At any other moment in time this would’ve probably be highly amusing to watch but there wasn’t anything even remotely funny about this situation.

It took him and all the others a few more seconds to catch on to what the wailing woman was pointing at and Danny’s litany of I will kill him, picked up again because now McGarrett was on the roof, carrying what could be the girl while it appeared that he was getting ready to throw her across the short distance to the other building.

The firemen immediately focused on the area Steve was on, taking care to avoid hitting them with the forceful spray of water while still trying their best to beat back the flames.

The girl sailed through the air, actually managing to somewhat gracefully land on the other roof, which was still flame free.

This time when the mother dislodged the guy sitting on her no one stopped her when she took off running.

Danny watched as Steve got ready to make the jump when suddenly there was a loud crash and the man vanished from sight.

Orders were barked out while Danny simply sank to the ground.

Steve…dead…that wasn’t something that he could think about.

The guy had survived so much in his life, he had come out on top of so many things and Danny didn’t even kid himself that he could imagine half of it and to die now that would be biggest irony of it all.

He folded in on himself pulling his knees up higher while burying his head between them his blond hair was waving wildly in the slight breeze.

Steve…was all he could think about.

##

Only his instincts saved him from doing himself some damage so when the floor suddenly gave way underneath him, he didn’t break or sprain an ankle. He rolled with the force of impact, coming back up on his feet.

Of course surviving a short drop into what once had been a room wasn’t all that impressive because he was truly caught.

He couldn’t get back up to the roof because even without going near the door, it was obvious from the smoke coming in that he wouldn’t be able to make his way back to the ladder.

It had been a miracle that he had made it up there in the first place and yes, throwing the little girl across hadn’t been his best idea yet but jumping with her would have been even more dangerous because he wouldn’t have been able to ensure that he would make it.

In retrospect of course it might have been better to take the risk but hey, he couldn’t change the past.

He opened his last bottle of water, pouring it onto the cloth once more before securing it over his mouth and nose again.

The sudden cough nearly had him doubling forward and catching his breath after that was nearly impossible.

Smoke inhalation, he thought. If he didn’t get out of here soon he wouldn’t have to worry about burning alive because the smoke would do him in long before that.

He snorted, finding something funny in that thought that was probably only funny to him.

Strangely the window hadn’t been broken up here and for a moment he hesitated. He recalled that feeding the flames might be a bad thing and that if he destroyed the window; the change in pressure might make everything worse for him.

But then again, how much worse could it get?

If he didn’t do anything he would end up dead.

At least by breaking the window he might gain a small chance of escaping this house.

He shrugged off his coat, using it to break through the glass and the few seconds of fresh air that filled his lungs were much appreciated. It didn’t last long though because there was already much smoke in the air, even outside the burning building so it was probably quite likely that what he considered to be fresh air would already be inhospitable to anyone else.

Beggars though couldn’t be choosers so he leaned out, taking stock of the situation.

The ground wasn’t that far away. Granted, it was littered with broken glass but there was one car that had sort of flipped and if he managed to land on it, it might break his fall long enough.

It was a chance.

It wasn’t a chance he would’ve liked to take with the little girl but jumping out of the window on the first floor wasn’t all that a stretch for him. Besides, he’d rather take his chances with the jump than sit on his ass and die for sure.

He was climbing out the window before he could think twice about it and the roar in his ears could have been from people screaming, from the fire behind and around him or from the adrenalin pumping through his system.

Either way, his eyes were firmly trained on the object of his desire; he pushed himself off the ledge and jumped.

For a brief moment it was as if he was flying; hovering in the air, free of gravity and then, seconds later, the Earth had him again, pulling him down.

His boots touched the roof of the car and for a moment it appeared as if he would land safely but he had failed to take into consideration that it was winter, that the side of the car was going to be slippery and with a startled yelp, he felt his feet slide away from underneath him.

He fell sideways, trying to turn over while falling like he had done before but this time he couldn’t manage it and when he landed, he landed sideways.

Concrete met his face and he only had a brief moment of relief when he didn’t feel any bones cracking because nothing was more annoying than being confined to a cast for weeks on end.

His side hurt though but he was used to that by now. Thankfully his stitches were out, his wounds were healed so it was good news that he hadn’t torn any old wounds open.

It smarted though, and the cough that raked his body now that almost clean air assaulted his lungs wasn’t pretty at all.

He fought to catch his breath, trying to keep calm, knowing fully well that panicking right now would only make things worse but in the end he was only human and when no fresh gust of air managed to get past his throat, he started to thrash wildly as if motion would make everything alright.

Arms were around him, restraining him. Then he was lifted and something was pressed over his mouth and nose and he barely heard the command, breathe, before his brain finally managed to tell his lungs to do that.

The coughs still tore through his body. It felt as if he was trying to shed a lung but with the clean oxygen being forced down his mouth and nose, everything sort of started getting easier.

His vision though was still dimming and a sharp prick on his neck told him that an EMT had probably giving him some mild sedative so that he would stop struggling. They couldn’t have known that it would be necessary for him because he had enough experience with these things to know that right now he needed to let others do their jobs.

He didn’t have to like it but he knew when he had to let to go.

Being unable to draw an easy breath was uncomfortable to say the least, and it really brought home how much everyone took breathing for granted.

Usually no one thought twice about it but now, as he lay on the stretcher, fighting to get air into his lungs, it had become obvious how precious that simple action was.

He blinked rapidly, his blue eyes were swimming with moisture that could’ve been tears or simply an aftereffect from the adrenalin wearing off; either way, his vision was slowly dimming as exhaustion and the sedative took their toll.

He wasn’t unconscious though when Danny’s voice broke through the haze that was settling over his mind.

“I’ve had it, “Danny was ranting and if Steve could’ve, he would’ve smiled. There was something to be said about Danny ranting…he wouldn’t call it cute or endearing but it was definitely familiar and a comfort.

“He keeps putting himself in these situations and frankly I don’t think I can handle him dragging me along for much longer. He doesn’t think, “Danny’s voice faded for a moment, probably to take a breath before he was back, “He doesn’t care that if he does something stupid that it also affects me!”

“He’s a menace!” Danny added and then everything faded away.

The last thing Steve thought was that if Danny felt that way, if his presence was too much then he wasn’t going to inflict himself on his friend any longer. He couldn’t change who he was but he could change what he would do.

Danny would get his wish.

What he didn’t hear though was that Josh quietly said, “But you still care about him. Crazy attitude and all.”

Danny rubbed his jaw; his shoulders slumped in some sort of defeat.

“You know me too well, “he mumbled.

“Yeah, “Josh said, “and don’t deny it but you love him, right?”

“I might, “Danny admitted,” I really might.”

12

Steve awoke the next morning and after the doctor explained to him that basically he was fine, as long as he took it easy on his lungs, he discharged himself.

It was against medical advice but he figured since she had told him that he was fine he didn’t need anyone to observe him for twenty-four hours.

Doctors had the tendency to be overly cautious and he was a big boy, he could take care of himself.

He signed the necessary papers and then he got a cab to take him to Danny’s parent’s house.

He didn’t have a key and when he knocked and then rang the bell no one opened.

He frowned, wondering where everyone could be and after tapping his foot for a few moments, he decided that he would still go ahead.

He went around the house, found his entry point and then let himself in. He made a mental note to pass the information on to Danny so that he could make sure to secure his parent’s home better but right now, he was thankful that it was so easy to break into the house.

They didn’t even have an alarm!

He collected his things, penned a quick note of thanks to the family and to Danny and then he called for a cab to take him to the airport.

It would’ve been polite for him to say his goodbyes in person, he was well aware of that, but quite honestly he didn’t want to make Danny any more uncomfortable than he already was.

Clearly he had overstayed his welcome and he valiantly ignored how that fact made him feel.

He was already on the plane to LA when he finally allowed himself to feel.

The offered alcohol was tempting but he refused it. He hadn’t needed it so far to drown his sorrows and he wasn’t about to start now.

It hurt that Danny didn’t want to be around him but it was something that he should’ve seen it coming.

He was difficult to live with, that wasn’t any news to him. His sister had happily pointed that out often enough when they had grown up and he figured that it had only gotten worse the older he got as he got set in some ways.

And yes, he did have a tendency towards leaping before looking but he would never put anyone in harm’s way unless it was unavoidable.

 

He knew that Danny could handle himself. He trusted the man to have his back but that didn’t mean that Danny appreciated his attitude.

Well, he cared for Danny, potentially even loved the guy, even though he wasn’t anywhere near ready to admit that, even to himself. Anyway, he cared for the man so if he could make his life easier by giving him some breathing room then he would do that.

He wasn’t about to let the man go professionally, he wasn’t stupid enough to do that but right now, he could give Danny some time alone with his family.

He deserved that much at least.

When he landed, he called his sister to come and pick him up.

“Are you joking?” she asked over the phone and Steve shook his head before he remembered that she couldn’t see him.

“No, so…”he drew out the word, “Will you pick me up or do I need to rent a car?”

“Of course I’ll pick you up, “his sister snapped, “And if you’re thinking of staying anywhere but my place, you’ve got another thing coming…”

Steve couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his face as he listened to his sister’s voice.

They might not be as close as some siblings were but he never doubted that she cared. And he hoped that it was the same thing for her.

She had a face that Danny would happily name if he were here but instead of hugging they simply nodded at each other.

“So why are you here?” she asked him when she pulled out into the traffic and Steve didn’t look at her when he considered his answer.

“Kono told you about what happened back home?” he asked and he didn’t have to look at her to notice the sudden tension in her body.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel and eventually she nodded.

“Yeah, I got a phone call. That my brother was kidnapped, tortured and he nearly died and that he was forced to go on holiday.”

“Well…”Steve hedged, put that way it did sound rather horrible. “I wasn’t tortured…” because he wasn’t.

“Hm…”Mary said, “Does it matter? You still ended up in hospital.”

“And why can’t you stay out of trouble?” she added, “Do you know how horrible it is to get a phone call like that?”

Steve bit his lower lip, hanging his head while considering his next move.

He didn’t know how this felt for other people because frankly he hadn’t considered it up until now. His job was dangerous and that was all that there was too it.

Growing up he could recall his mother hating to answer the phone because she had always worried that it would be someone calling to tell her that something had happened to his father.

In a sad way it was ironic that in the end, it had been his father who had survived her, being the single parent to take the notification.

“I’m sorry, “he simply said in the end because there wasn’t anything else to be said.

He wasn’t sorry for his job or with how he lived his life but he was sorry that it caused Mary to worry about him. He didn’t want that but he was well aware that this wasn’t going to change.

There was silence before Mary spoke again, “Thanks…”and then she added, “I know this is how you are. I wouldn’t change you even if you are annoying at times but yeah, getting that kind of call sucks.”

“Hm…”it was now Steve’s turn to offer up some sort of sound that acknowledged what she had said without actually saying anything in itself.

##

Mary’s apartment was small and not in excellent condition but it had a warm feeling to it that could only be associated with a place that someone called home.

He opted out of telling her about his recent stint in the hospital, figuring that because he was more or less fine there was no need to worry her again.

##

“Hey, Chin…”Steve picked up the phone with a smile.

Mary was at work and he was enjoying himself. He had gone out for a run in the morning but he hadn’t gotten far due to his lungs not yet working at full capacity.

He hadn’t let that stop him though and afterwards he had gone for a good swim. The beach here wasn’t anything like back home but water was water so he had been fine.

Now he was on the sofa, enjoying some nice tea while thinking about what else he could do.

“It’s done…”Chin said over the phone and Steve frowned because what was done?

“Huh?”

“Hesse is dead.”

Steve nearly dropped the phone at that announcement and when he had recovered, he was only able to whisper.

“How can you be sure?”

 

He clearly remembered that he had thought his father’s murderer to be dead before and he had still managed to come back from the dead.

“Because I put a bullet in his head and he was still dead an hour later.” Was Chin’s reply and that was good enough for him.

“And I’ve sent you a picture so that you can see for yourself.” Well, apparently Chin knew him very well because while he didn’t doubt his friend’s word, seeing a picture of the corpse would help him tremendously.

“Thanks, man…”he said quietly, words not quite enough but they would have to do.

“Any time, brah, any time.”

Then Chin hung up, fully aware that Steve needed some time to process the fact that that part of his life was finally over.

It would bring back the dead; his father was still buried and gone but at least he had the satisfaction that the man who had killed him wasn’t running around any more.

He would be lying if he would say that he wouldn’t have preferred to put the bullet into Hesse’ head himself but in the end, dead was dead and that was all that matter.

Steve stared into space for a while, trying to assimilate that this part of his life was over.

He had imagined to feel joy or at least relief but all he felt was a gigantic numbness that seemed to be spreading from his body all over his soul.

He shook his head, deciding that it was best not to dwell on it.

When his sister came home that night he gave her the good news and when she smiled wolfishly, baring her teeth, he found himself smiling back.

“We should celebrate, “she simply said, heading towards the liquor cabinet and coming back with a few very excellent choices that would get them drunk very fast.

Not that Steve was objecting because this was exactly what he needed and what he hadn’t been aware of.

He usually didn’t get drunk; a few beers here and there were fine but he rarely allowed himself to get drunk where he was unable to focus.

“I wish you would stop pouting…”Mary said out of the blue and because that was the least he had expected, some of the alcohol got into the wrong pipe causing him to cough.

“There, there…”she patted him on the back while he coughed until he shoved her hand away, glaring at his sister.

“I don’t pout, “he stated but Mary only rolled her eyes at him.

She made a waving hand gesture to sweep his body while saying, “I don’t know what you call this then, but I call it pouting.”

“I’m not pouting, “Steve emphasised because honestly, he didn’t pout!

“Well, then maybe it is moping?” Mary offered with a tilt of her blonde head and a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Steve opened his mouth to set her straight because no, he didn’t pout and he sure as hell wasn’t moping either but his sister ignored him, saying, “It’s Danny, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Oh come on…”she was nudging his leg now, clearly trying to indicate that he should confide in her and for a moment Steve was tempted.

But then he shut his mouth because there was no point in talking about it.

Danny had made his position quite clear and even if he hadn’t, just because Steve had developed some sort of crush out of nowhere didn’t mean that the man felt the same way.

“Fine, be that way.” Mary said with resignation, “But let me tell you, your life would be so much easier if you were only half this stubborn…”

Steve grunted, taking another sip of his glass.

Hours later they both passed out on the sofa, dead to the world.

##

Mary was gone in the morning and how she had managed to go to work was slightly beyond Steve.

He found some painkillers and glass of water sitting on the coffee table and by the time he had showered he felt almost human again.

He eyed the eggs in the fridge but decided against tempting fate and chewed on some toast with butter instead.

His stomach didn’t revolt and by the time he was finished he felt well enough to consider going for another swim.

The sudden knock on the door took him by surprise and by the time he was there, it sounded as if someone was trying to kick in the door.

He yanked the door open, glaring at whoever was out there and his mouth hung slightly open when he came face to face with an enraged Danny.

“You…”this was followed by a poke in the chest that Steve barely felt because he was still in shock. “You, “Danny repeated, “have some explaining to do.”

Then he shoved past Steve who let him go without thinking about it.

Danny dumped his bag onto the floor, rounding around to face Steve who still had a slightly gobsmacked look on his face.

“How dare you skip town, leaving only a note behind.” Danny shouted at him, his hands waving as if he was directing some sort of symphony.

“A note!” He repeated, waving some more. “A measly note…!”

“Alright, I get it…”Steve tried to get in but Danny made a zipping gesture with his hand over his lips. “You’re not allowed to talk now.”

Steve knew better than to argue because they had this conversation before and even though it was ridiculous he knew that it was better to let Danny blow off some steam before trying to reason with him.

Like this, in the state he was in, he wasn’t going to hear anything he said anyway.

“I had to call Chin to track you down!” Danny continued and Steve shrugged slightly because he hadn’t tried to keep it a secret that he had gone to his sister.

“Do you have any idea how humiliating it was for me to call him and ask him to trace your steps?”

No, Steve couldn’t understand that because if Danny had wanted to know where he was, he could have just picked up the phone and called him.

“And if you’re going to say that I could’ve just called you, I’ll end you.”

Steve wisely shut his mouth again because clearly Danny’s logic wasn’t currently operating on Earth standard and it was honestly better to just let the man roll with it.

“I was worried.” He added, “You disappeared out of the hospital and while I should’ve seen that one coming, I hadn’t been prepared to come home and find you gone.”

Steve opened his mouth to say that he was sorry but one challenging look from Danny had him closing his mouth again.

Right, Danny hadn’t told him yet that he could speak.

“And you can’t tell me that you’re fine because when was the last time you called me Danno?”

Steve blinked because this leap of logic wasn’t something that he could follow.

He frowned before shrugging. Danny had told him to stop using that name and while at first he had ignored it because he liked it and because he had thought that secretly Danny liked it too, it was true that he hadn’t used the endearment since Danny had shouted at him in the parking lot of the mall.

Since he had lost Grace and Danny had told him that he didn’t trust Steve at all.

He had apologized later and yes, Steve didn’t doubt him but somehow, deep down, he still did.

Sometimes knowing something and really believing it were two totally different things and this time he hadn’t even been aware that he had made a distinction.

Leave it to Danny though to pick up on it.

“And I’m tired of this…”Danny was gesturing between them again and Steve felt another painful tug at his heart.

“Now, if you want to punch me, go ahead but I am doing this.”

And then, out of nowhere, Steve found himself grabbed, yanked forward until he was more or less falling into Danny who put his hands onto his hips, steadying him.

Then his mouth was on his, licking his lips, coaxing him to open up and honestly, Steve was too startled to do anything but react and go with it.

This was after all something that he had been thinking about, fantasizing even, and now that his dream was turning into reality, it was way better than anything he could’ve come up with.

Danny expertly licked his lips and when Steve opened his mouth, leaning into the kiss, their tongues collided and much like everything in their relationship, they fought about who was in charge and who wasn’t.

Steve’s hands came to rest on Danny’s arm, gripping him so tight that there were probably going to be bruises tomorrow and the groan that escaped him took him by surprise.

He licked his lips when Danny pulled away, his blue eyes blown wide by lust coursing through his body.

He didn’t realize it but his body was angling towards the blond man, protesting the distance that was keeping them apart.

“You can talk now, you know…”Danny’s voice was rough and Steve chuckled.

“So…”Danny drew the word out, “You’re on board with this?”

It was now Steve’s turn to roll his eyes before nodding, grabbing Danny’s hand placing it over his crotch. “That good enough for you?”

He watched Danny swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing before he was roughly grabbed and shoved backwards towards the kitchen counter.

“Umpf…”his back connected with the counter but he barely felt the pain because suddenly Danny was on his knees before him, looking up at him, his intention was clear.

Steve slowly nodded, giving his consent because honestly, who wouldn’t?

If Danny was half as good at giving head as he was at shouting at people, especially him, then Steve would need to have his head examined if he didn’t want Danny’s mouth on his dick.

His cock gave a little twitch in anticipation as Danny licked his lips and raised his hands to pull down his zipper.

He was just about to pull out his cock when the door opened, followed by a high pitched squeal that hurt Steve’s ears and was probably heard high up in space as well.

“Oh my god!” Mary screamed, covering her eyes while still peeking at the two men. “I don’t want to see this…”

The spell was broken and blushing rapidly Danny got to his feet while Steve simply calmly watched his sister.

He adjusted his trousers slightly but it wasn’t as if she had actually gotten a good look at him!

“As glad as I am that you’re here, “This she said to Danny, “since Steve will probably stop pouting now, there are a few things that a sister really doesn’t want to know…so shoo, go use my bedroom…or the bathroom, or the closet. Just don’t do it out in the open!”

“I didn’t pout!” Steve needed to inject while Danny gripped his hand, dragging him towards the back of the apartment.

There wasn’t much room to get lost, considering how small the place was so Danny quickly located the bathroom, shoving Steve inside and closing the door behind them.

It wouldn’t feel right to use Mary’s bed but the shower was just fine.

13

“We can talk later…”Danny threatened and Steve ignored that, pulling at his clothes until he was naked.

He turned on the shower, sending a quick glance over his shoulders to note that Danny was also like God had made him: naked in all his glory and he couldn’t help it, he licked his lips when his eyes were drawn to Danny’s stiff prick.

“Shower, now.” Danny ordered and Steve found himself complying.

Who would’ve thought that Danny liked to give orders when it came to sex? And who would’ve thought that Steve’s dick twitched, hardening even more at the way Danny’s voice sounded when he ordered him around.

The hot spray of water had him drenched in moments and he didn’t resist when Danny turned him around, this time more gently guiding him until his back was against the tiles.

Even though he knew what was coming, it still surprised him when Danny once again slid down onto his knees, staring at his crotch as if it was something amazing.

“Are you…?” he asked almost breathlessly because having Danny’s mouth so close while nothing was happening was a special kind of torture that he both liked and hated at the same time.

“Yes, I’m going to suck you…”Danny drawled and then, he put his mouth, for once, to good use.

Hot heat engulfed his cock and Steve’s head fell backwards, connecting with the tiles with a thud.

His blue eyes fluttered close and he barely felt Danny’s hands on his hips, restraining him so that he didn’t lose control.

And losing control was definitely an option because Danny sure as hell knew what he was doing.

He sucked, almost swallowing all of him down while pulling back nibbling at the head of Steve’s cock like it was some sort of candy.

He felt one thumb trailing small circles on his hip bone while the others hand slowly moved downward, sliding up and down his thigh.

He shivered, not because the water had turned cold yet but because every nerve ending in his body was firing at the same time and it was almost like some kind of sensory overload.

“I’ve got you…”Danny somehow managed to mumbled while still sucking on his dick and the words combined with the vibration, had his spine curling and then he was coming, like a teenager, only moments after everything had started.

Danny kept on rubbing his thigh, his tantalising fingers were snaking in between his legs, brushing past his balls and coming to rest at his crack.

Some small pressure there, nothing much, barely more than a light squeeze and Steve felt as if he was exploding.

If he hadn’t already been coming, that would’ve surely sent him over the edge and when he was spent, his knees gave way.

He was sliding down until he was more or less sitting on the floor, legs spread while Danny was still kneeling between them.

He opened one eye, for some reason too shy to open both of them at the same time, and when he saw Danny’s heated gaze he opened his second eye, raising his hands to cup Danny’s head and pulling him into a heated kiss.

“You’ve got no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that…”Danny mumbled as he pulled away and even though the other man didn’t ask, Steve let go of Danny to weave one hand in between their bodies, searching and finding Danny’s still hard prick.

He watched with delight as Danny’s eyes fluttered shut as he took him in hand, slowly moving his hand up and down the long, hard shaft, setting a rhythm that he hoped would get Danny off just as quickly as he had him.

It was the least he could do.

The water was slowly turning cold on them but it would seem as if neither man noticed or at least cared.

The texture of Danny’s dick was lick his own; hot to touch, hard and still soft at the same time and oh so very sensitive.

Every flick of his fingers, every rub or glide seemed to elicit a shudder from Danny and Steve would be lying if he didn’t admit that this was the hottest thing he had seen in quite a while.

If he hadn’t just come his brains out moments earlier, he would probably be able to come by simply watching Danny coming undone right before his very eyes.

“Danno…”Steve whispered, that both hated and loved nickname slipping off his lips without any second thought and Danny eyes snapped open, a huge smile gracing his face.

And then, the blond man was shuddering and Steve wasn’t so sure if whispering Danno was the one thing that had brought the man over the edge. He filed that away to be retested in the future, kind of like he always did with important intel on a mission.

Their foreheads met while the now cold water washed away any signs of what they had just done.

“We should get out of here before we freeze solid…”Steve suggested and Danny chuckled, nodding in agreement.

“Otherwise your sister will have something else to scream about.” The blond man answered and Steve slowly pulled himself up, switching off the water.

“But you know what?” Danny asked and Steve turned, one eyebrow rose as he waited for Danny to keep on talking, “I think she actually didn’t mind so much. I think you’re sister is a closeted voyeur.”

“Hey!” Steve was mildly outraged, “This is my baby sister you’re talking about. If she has any sex at all, then it would be all vanilla!”

Then he shrugged himself as if he was trying to shake of disturbing images of his sister in various sexual acts that she shouldn’t be engaging in because she was his younger sister and no, she simply would always be too young to have sex.

Danny only chuckled while he stepped out onto the bathroom floor. “Got any towels?”

Steve wordlessly opened the small cupboard to their right, throwing something pink and fluffy at Danny’s head.

“I’ll get back to you for that, “he heard the other man grumbling but honestly all Steve could do was smile.

##

The flight back home was a quiet one but the silence was easy even though there were still many unanswered questions hanging between them.

At least on Danny’s side because Steve was good. He didn’t need to talk about things; he didn’t need to dissect anything because he was just fine with Danny wanting him and with leaving it at that.

However Danny was practically itching to talk about where they stood now, almost like a woman trying to define the borders of their relationship and yes, Steve knew better than to voice his comparison out loud.

He might like Danny’s temper and he might secretly be quite fond of the tirades his partner often engaged in but that didn’t mean that he needed to provoke sleeping tigers into a fit.

And doubting Danny’s manhood, even if nothing could be further from the truth, would surely set him off.

The news that Hesse was dead hadn’t been news because apparently when Danny had tracked him down, Chin had spilled the beans and that had been that.

Their return to Honolulu and the island of Oahu was slightly anticlimactic and Steve couldn’t deny that he felt a slight twinge when Danny asked to be dropped off at his apartment.

Steve obliged without any further comment and on his own way home he picked up a few fresh fruits.

They were tasty and easy to eat and didn’t require him to cook anything so fruit was high on the list of things he liked to eat.

The next morning he woke to something crashing in the living room and the curse that followed told him in no uncertain terms that he didn’t need to be worried about any intruders because it was only Danny.

He was proven right when moments later his bedroom door creaked open, revealing a sheepish looking Danny.

“Morning, “the man mumbled before slowly walking into the room.

“Morning, “Steve replied, sitting up and noting with a smile that Danny’s eyes seemed to follow the thin sheet as it slowly slid down Steve’s body until it pooled at his waist.

He liked to sleep in the nude because it was comfortable and if for some reason he should feel chilled, there was always the bed sheet he could wrap himself in.

Danny’s eyes widened even further when he noticed that little fact and this time Steve could hide the knowing smirk on his face.

Danny cleared his throat before sliding out of his shoes, pulling at the tie until Steve feared he would either break it or strangle himself.

“What’s with the tie?” he asked because today was Sunday and they weren’t expected until Monday and there was no logical reason for Danny to be wearing that thing on their day off.

“This is important, “Danny reasoned, “and where I come from you dress up for an occasion.”

Steve blinked but he let that strange comment slide because if Danny wanted to head towards a heat stroke by insisting on wearing ties in Hawaiian weather then really, who was he to deny him that pleasure?

And it might be fun to watch Danny’s face turn all red…

The shirt he was wearing followed moments later and when the trousers ended up on the floor, Steve’s sleepy dick finally got with the program and started stirring.

Danny thought kept his underwear when he crawled onto the bed.

Steve tried reaching for him but the infuriating man simply swatted his hands away.

“I didn’t want to have this conversation in bed but I’m also done waiting.” He said slowly, his blue eyes not letting Steve out of his sight. “What are your intentions?”

“My intentions?” Steve asked incredulously because what kind of question was that?

“Where do you see us going?” Danny rephrased when it was clear that Steve hadn’t understood what he had meant.

“Uhm…”Steve blinked rapidly because honestly, he hadn’t thought about it. He lived in the now and he rarely made any big plans for his future.

He opened his mouth to say that but Danny, obviously having developed some strange mind reading skill while he hadn’t been looking spoke before he could.

“Just think about a year from now. Think Christmas…Do you see me there?”

“Of course, “the answer came before Steve could even think about it and Danny smiled at him.

“So if we’re doing this, “he was now waving between himself and Steve to emphasize the point, “Then we’ll be exclusive. Partners in every sense of the word.”

“Sure, “Steve easily agreed, “And you can move in here because that place you call your apartment…”

“Don’t go there…”Danny protested but then he nodded.

“I’ll move in…in a bit…”

“Why not now?” Steve asked because if they were going to do this then why not do it right?

“Because we just started dating and you don’t go from zero to a hundred in like a day.”

“But…”

“No…”

“But in our own way we’ve been circling each other ever since we met…”Steve pointed out and he only realized how true it was after he had said it. He might be able to come to understand after all what Danny meant when he had said that sometimes his mouth started talking before his brain had managed to catch up.

Danny chewed on his lower lip and no, this shouldn’t have been endearing at all.

So Steve brought out the big guns, “Danno…”he said reasonably, “it makes no sense for you to pay rent when you’re going to be here all the time anyway…”

“Well…”Danny sighed, “if you put it that way…”

##

Steve was lying on his side with Danny behind him, his head resting on Steve’s shoulders while one leg was wedged in between Steve’s, spreading him so that the blond man had better access.

“You sure about this?” Danny whispered into his ear, hot breath ghosting over his skin, sending shivers down Steve’s spine.

“Yes,” he answered, “I want to feel you…and then…”

“You can do me…”Danny finished the sentence for him and Steve only answer was to close his eyes, submitting to Danny’s touch.

Steve honestly didn’t see the big deal Danny was making out of this but in the end he had been able to convince the other man that he didn’t mind bottoming first.

Danny apparently had been reluctant because when it came to gay sex and the glare that had resulted when Steve had dared to tell him that he was a virgin hadn’t been comical at all even though Danny had almost fallen off the bed laughing.

Three fingers were now currently stretching him open, moving in and out of his body and while the lube at first had been cold, by now it was pleasantly warm.

“Just do it…”he urged and he could feel Danny smile even though he couldn’t see his face.

“Always in a hurry…” he commented and Steve reared his head back in an affectionate head butt that still had Danny grunting in a low amount of pain.

The fingers were removed from his ass and then he could feel Danny shifting behind him, until something a lot bigger nudged at his opening. He had watched Danny slowly and sensually pulling the condom on his already leaking cock and knowing what was now about to breach him had him gasping long before Danny started moving forward.

The head slowly pushed passed the tight rings of his muscles, straining them until they gave way and the head was in.

He scrunched up his nose because while not totally unpleasant it was still foreign and strange and when nothing happened, he sighed in annoyance.

“I’m not made of glass. Get on with it, “he hissed in between clenched teeth and for once, miracle oh miracle, Danny didn’t argue, he simply pushed further until he could feel his partner’s pubic hair tickling his ass cheeks.

He swallowed hard, trying to adjust his body to feeling so full and his mind boggled a little bit when he tried to wrap his head around the fact that he felt full because Danny had his cock up his ass!

That wasn’t anything that he had ever thought would happen but he had to admit he wasn’t sorry that his imagination had let him down so far. Because this? This was so much better than anything he could’ve come up with.

“Move…”he gritted out and with an accompanying grunt, Danny started to push his hips, shoving his cock deeper into Steve’s body while then slowly retreating until he repeated it all over again.

It was strange to be on the receiving end of this but Steve couldn’t deny that while the sensations were all strange and new they were also all incredibly great.

He barely felt the fingers digging into his flesh and he didn’t need to even though himself because soon the movement of Danny’s cock alone had him on the edge.

The cock was sliding along his crack, brushing his sensitive walls and that special bundle of nerves inside him had him seeing stars along with an alarming dimming of his vision.

“Danno…Danno…”he repeated over and over again and Danny might have shouted Steve’s name, he couldn’t be sure because then the dark edges in his vision turned white and his entire body coiled with his spine arching.

Heat pulled in his groin, his balls tightened and then he erupted all over his own sheets.

He felt his tight channel clenching around Danny’s cock, his orgasm squeezing the prick even tighter than before and then Danny screamed, his body collapsing against Steve’s while his hips frantically kept on jerking, pushing his cock as far into Steve’s body as physically possible.

There might have been a grunt and Steve made a little sound as Danny’s limp cock slid out of his opening.

Hands were running down his side, soothing him and loving him and he hoped that Danny had tied off that condom when the man snuggled against him, pulling him into an embrace before settling in for a nap.

Steve felt his own eyes fluttering shut, pressing his body back into Danny’s because it felt right and it also made it possible for him to avoid lying in the wet spot he had created.

When the sun rose hours later it wasn’t just the dawn of a new day but of a new life for both of them.

And they greeted it with a smile and with another round of good lovemaking.

The End.

 

I hope you liked the story. If you would like to leave a comment please do so over at my LJ master post. Thank you.  
[Ohana (Family Master Post](http://community.livejournal.com/kuhekabir_fics/74643.html)


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